A man jumped on stage during Dave Chappelle’s live performance in Hollywood and tackled him in a May 3 incident captured on video and circulating on Twitter. The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee. He. is being held on $30,000 bond after being charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, the LAPD says.
The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News a man from the audience was taken into custody after he rushed the stage armed with a “replica gun” that “can eject a knife blade ‘when you discharge it correctly.'” The incident happened at about 10:45 p.m. local time.
According to NBC News, the venue’s security staff detained the man, who police told the outlet was taken to the hospital by ambulance to be treated for “superficial injuries.” A video posted on Twitter by Buzzfeed reporter Brianna Sacks shows what she said is the attacker being loaded into the ambulance. She wrote that the man “got his a** kicked by at least 10 people.”
The appearance was a part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, a live Netflix comedy festival that started April 28 and continues through May 8. Chappelle was performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California, at the time of the incident, according to his tour schedule.
Videos Showing Chappelle Being Tackled Live on Stage Circulated Widely on Twitter & Chappelle Later Commented on the Attack
“Dave Chappelle just got attacked on stage,” wrote one person on Twitter, sharing a slow-motion video of the incident.
A 32-second version of the video was shared by another fan on Twitter. It shows Chappelle reacting immediately after he was tackled.
Other commenters wrote that the man who attacked Chappelle was injured.
“Man That Attacked Dave Chappelle At His Show At Hollywood Bowl Has Hands Broken and Dislocated,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Shouldn’t have done that,” a voice can be heard saying to the man on the video.
Another video shows security guards patting down a man, who is up against a temporary wall beyond a barricade. At least one other person can be seen taking video of the incident, while several others look on from the public area.
“Here’s the guy who jumped Dave Chappelle,” wrote the person who posted that video.
‘We’re Not Gonna Let Anything Happen to You,’ Foxx Told Chappelle After the Attack
After the attack, Chappelle continued the show and discussed the incident after calling fellow comedian Jamie Foxx on stage to join him.
“Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat,” Chappelle said.
Foxx joked that he thought the attack was a part of the show.
“I grabbed the back of that n****’s head,” Chappelle said. “His hair was spongy. Absorbent.”
He said he had never seen anything like that happen before.
“I’ve been doing this 35 years. I just stomped a n**** backstage,” Chappelle said. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Foxx said Chappelle is a “genius” and that he needs to be protected.
“Listen, I just want to say … this man is an absolute genius. We’ve got to make sure we protect him at all times,” Foxx said. “For every comedian that comes out here, this means everything. You’re a genius. You’re a legend … and we’re not going to let nothing happen to you,” Foxx said.
Deadline reported that attendees were not permitted to bring their phones inside, so video of the incident was sparse.
“Apparently, Chappelle was rushed by someone while onstage. Attendees’ phones were confiscated at the gate, so video and even photos are very sparse, but one video posted seemed to show the man smashing into someone holding a microphone, possibly Chappelle,” Deadline wrote.
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