Celebrity News May 05, 2022
The Scary Replica Handgun with a Knife Used in Dave Chappelle Attack (Pics)
UPDATE: The L.A. Times reports Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s office will not be filing felony charges against Isaiah Lee. The case has now been referred to the L.A. city attorney’s office for a possible misdemeanor filing.
Dave Chappelle was tackled onstage Tuesday night, and now the Los Angeles Police Department has released photos of the attacker’s gun-like knife.
The incident took place during “Netflix Is a Joke Presents: Dave Chappelle and Friends” at the Hollywood Bowl, when a man in a black hoodie rushed the stage and tackled Chappelle to the ground just as he was wrapping up his routine. The attacker tried to get away, but security was able to chase him down.
According to LAPD, suspect Isaiah Lee “produced what was later discovered to be a replica handgun and pointed the item at the victim. Hollywood Bowl uniformed security officers, who witnessed the incident, engaged the suspect and removed him from the victim and took him into custody.”
The police added, The replica handgun that also contained a knife blade was recovered and later processed as evidence.”
Lee was arrested for Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon and “transported to a local hospital to treat injuries sustained during the altercation with security,” adding, “the suspect was treated and cleared.” He is being held on $30,000 bail.
Dave, who was not injured in the attack, later released a statement to Deadline via his spokesperson.
The statement says, “Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
Dave Chappelle Attacked Onstage, Suspect Identified
View StoryThe spokesperson continued, “As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show. Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening, hip-hop artists yasiin bey and Talib Kweli, a.k.a. Black Star, who performed music from their new album – the first in nearly 24 years – which was released on Luminary. Other special comedic guests last night included Earthquake, Leslie Jones, Jeff Ross, Sebastian, Jon Stewart and Michelle Wolf.”
Dave reportedly helped subdue the crowd too. People magazine reports Chappelle told the audience in the aftermath of the attack, "Everybody compose themselves. I want this to be a peaceful moment."