Danny Trejo Gets In 4th Of July Fight At 80 Years Old
Actor Danny Trejo is known for playing the heavy in many films, such as Machete, but an unknown thrower of a water balloon triggered Trejo when it struck his classic car while participating in a local Fourth of July parade Thursday in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles. Trejo turned 80 in May and was driving his classic convertible, interacting with the crowd, and taking selfies with fans when an errant water balloon struck his car.
As you would expect, lots of people with cellphone cameras captured video footage of the incident. The video footage shows Danny Trejo getting out of his convertible after the water balloon lands on it and going after the crowd where it likely originated. People standing near Trejoâs car yelled âNo Water!â to a group standing outside of camera range as Trejo confronts a group standing on the sidewalk.
As one might expect from an actor known for playing tough-guy roles, including the lead in Machete and its sequel, Danny Trejo wasnât about to let someone get away with striking his classic convertible with a water balloon.
Whether or not he was addressing the group from which the offending water balloon was thrown is unknown, but yelling led to Trejo apparently throwing a punch. He was knocked to the ground as others rushed to his aid while trying to stop the fight. Video footage shows Trejo throwing a lawn chair, which may or may not have struck someone. The fight ended quickly with no apparent injuries suffered or inflicted, but even an 80-year-old like Danny Trejo likely can throw a hard punch at a water balloon-wielding menace.
Water balloons commonly are thrown during the neighborhoodâs annual Independence Day parade, but Trejo said classic cars are supposed to be respected and protected. As one might expect from an actor known for playing tough-guy roles, including the lead in Machete and its sequel, Danny Trejo wasnât about to let someone get away with striking his classic convertible with a water balloon. When he plays a tough guy in his films, Trejo isnât acting, because he has a history of being a bonafide badman.
The fight ended quickly with no apparent injuries suffered or inflicted, but even an 80-year-old like Danny Trejo likely can throw a hard punch at a water balloon-wielding menace.
The Mexican-American thespian was born in Los Angeles in 1944 and had anything but an easy upbringing. He was abused by his father, separated from his mother, and lived with his grandmother after his father went to prison for stabbing someone. Trejo did progressively harder drugs while a child and teen and sold drugs. Like many kids exposed to street crime and criminals, he gravitated toward both and ran afoul of the law many times during his youth.
Danny Trejo spent time in juvenile detention camps, stabbed a man in the face, and was incarcerated in San Quentin and other California prisons at various times from 1959 to 1969. He was a drug dealer and debt collector and participated in or witnessed violent crimes, including murder, while in and out of prison.Â
When he plays a tough guy in his films, (Danny) Trejo isnât acting, because he has a history of being a bonafide badman.Â
His first film appearance was as an extra on the exceptional 1985 film Runaway Train. He also was paid as a boxing trainer for one of its stars, Eric Roberts. The rest, as they say, is history.
