MAY 2 – American comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage by an assailant who threw him to the ground at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Tuesday night before being arrested and arrested, video footage verified by Reuters showed.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Wednesday identified the suspect as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, who was being held in jail on $30,000 bail after being charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Lee had a replica weapon that contained a knife blade when he attacked Chappelle, the spokesman said. According to online prison records, Lee was not scheduled to appear in court.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Chappelle, 48, was injured in the attack or what motivated him.
Video footage posted to Twitter showed the attacker running onto the stage and crashing into Chappelle with his torso, slamming his shoulder into the comedian’s ribs and chest. After initial contact, the attacker and Chappelle took several steps before both were shown to fall to the ground. The attacker then got up and ran around the stage, dodging a swarm of people for several seconds before they attacked him near the back of the stage.
Chappelle performed there along with other comedians as part of an 11-day comedy festival called Netflix is a Joke.
Dave Chappelle introduces Jay-Z during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, USA on October 30, 2021. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File Photo
Continue reading
The attack came just over a month after actor Will Smith punched comedian Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, an unprecedented incident at the globally televised event that raised concerns the cast members would face copycat attacks could. Continue reading
Smith, who won the best actor award, was subsequently banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years. The actor issued statements apologizing to Rock, the Oscars producers, nominees and viewers following the incident.
A Hollywood Bowl representative told Reuters the incident was under investigation and declined to comment further. An agent and public relations representative for Chappelle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to an ABC report, Rock, who performed there earlier that night, joined Chappelle on stage shortly after the performance and joked, “Was that Will Smith?”
Video footage obtained by Reuters showed the suspect on a stretcher being placed in an ambulance. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, NBC Los Angeles police said.
Brianna Sacks, a BuzzFeed News journalist who attended the event, said the altercation took place just as Chappelle was finishing his performance.
Chappelle’s Netflix comedy special The Closer was criticized last year by some who said it satirized transgender people. Followers of the comedian saw it as an outcry against the so-called demolition culture. Continue reading
Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Shivam Patel; Edited by Nick Macfie, Will Dunham and John Stonestreet