A 23-year-old man has been charged with trying to attack Dave Chappelle last night after storming on stage armed with a knife and tackling the comedian at his Hollywood Bowl show.
Isaiah Lee is now being held in the LA County Sheriff’s custody on a single felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. His bail has been set at $30,000. Lee’s motive for the attack remains unclear. Police have not yet established where he lives, and if he attended the show alone.
He stormed the stage while Chappelle joked that he’d had to increase his security in light of his trans jokes at the Netflix is a Joke festival. The attacker was armed with a gun that contained a hidden knife, according to the cops. It’s unclear if he was searched on his way into the venue, or how he was able to gain access to the stage.
Chappelle was uninjured and carried on with the show.
Lee was then tackled by security guards who appeared to break his arm in the melee. He is described as weighing 140lbs and is 5ft 11.
It raises questions about security at the Netflix show, its first ever live comedy festival, which forced fans to put their phones away but failed to spot the weapon. Netflix has not yet addressed the incident.
The venue said on its website that the show, which last night was titled Dave Chappelle and Friends, would be a ‘phone-free experience’ and that the audience would have to secure their phones inside pouches.
After the attacker was detained, Chappelle thanked Foxx on stage during the curtain call. He said: ‘Shout out to Jamie Foxx by the way. Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat.’