Danny Trejo Speaks Out Against 'Bullies' After Fight at Fourth of July Parade: 'I'm 80 Years Old!'

The 80-year-old actor said he 'panicked' because he thought his car was being hit by 'acid'

Danny Trejo is speaking out after he was involved in an altercation at a Fourth of July parade on July 4. 

The 80-year-old actor spoke with Fox 11 Los Angeles on July 5 after a bystander threw water balloons at Trejo’s lowrider during the parade. That led to an altercation at the parade in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sunland-Tujunga. 

According to Trejo, the Sunland-Tujunga Rotary club invited him to ride in the parade and he brought his three classic lowriders, when the car he drove in ended up getting hit by water balloons.  

“We passed and bam! The car got hit by a water balloon.” Trejo said

"Somebody yelled, ‘It’s acid!’ And I panicked,” he continued. “I got out of the car to look and then a balloon hit me, and then I saw the guy throwing it." 

In video obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles, Trejo was seen approaching the water balloon throwers and Trejo swinged before he ended up being knocked to the ground. 

Danny Trejo attends Fan Expo Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Shutterstock

“I hate bullies, and that’s what bullies do,” Trejo said about the person who threw the water balloon. “[They were] very really cowards. I did this in the ‘50s and the ’60s, I’m still doing it, I’m 80 years old!"

Trejo’s friend Mario Castillo also approached after Trejo was knocked down and ended up getting hit and knocked down as well. 

“We weren’t there to start no trouble,” Castillo said. “It was, we were just confronting the people that were throwing balloons. It was a grown man, skinhead, tattoos." 

Danny Trejo attends the 10th Annual Ping Pong 4 Purpose Celebrity Tournament at Dodger Stadium
Danny Trejo attends the 10th Annual Ping Pong 4 Purpose Celebrity Tournament at Dodger Stadium.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

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Video of the altercation was initially posted by TMZ and on social media on July 4 and Trejo was also seen throwing a lawn chair when other people intervened to break up the altercation. 

A rep for Trejo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment at the time. 

“It’s sad that people can wake up in the morning and decide to go down and ruin something for everybody else," Trejo said about the altercation. “I am a protector. I will protect all my friends, always, and that’s what I was doing," he said. 

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