Police have arrested and identified the man they say tackled comedian Dave Chappelle during a show in Hollywood on Tuesday night.
Isaiah Lee, 23, was booked for assault with a deadly weapon, Los Angeles police spokeswoman Officer Hernandez told Law&Crime on the phone. The officer declined to provide Law&Crime with her first name.
Lee is allegedly seen on video from TMZ charging Chappelle and then running off. Security guards then appear to chase Lee and reportedly beat him, all while the comedian provided cheerful narration.
“Thank God that [censored] was clumsy. He’s back there getting stomped,” Chappelle is heard telling the audience, later saying he had joined in on the stomping.
Lee was reportedly taken away in an ambulance.
Here is a video of the aftermath. #DaveChappelle handled this like a champ! #HollywoodBowl pic.twitter.com/0xaBpWsbrT
— E5QUIRE (@e5quire) May 4, 2022
BuzzFeed reporter Brianna Sacks, who was there, said that actor Jamie Foxx then appeared on stage:
Also correcting myself. Jamie Foxx came out in a sheriff’s hat. Important distinction ☝?
— Brianna Sacks (@bri_sacks) May 4, 2022
The comedian appeared well, continuing to joke as he closed out the show at the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival. Officers did not report him having any injuries but said that Lee had pointed a “replica handgun” at him during the incident.
The fake firearm had a knife inside it, Hernandez said.
In a moment that was arguably apropos to the situation, comedian Chris Rock—who was recently slapped by actor Will Smith during the Oscars for a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith—happened to be at the show, and he grabbed the mic after the tackling.
“Was that Will Smith?” he said.
Detectives did not release information on the motive, the officer said.
Chappelle made a crack during incident about the attacker being a “trans man.” The comedian has faced staunch criticism for transphobic jokes, though he has insisted the controversy wasn’t about him versus the LGBTQ community but “about corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say.”
The Daily Beast and TMZ are reporting that Lee is a rapper, and has a song named after Chappelle:
Isaiah Arias Lee, who performs under the name “NoName_Trapper” and recorded a song in 2020 titled “Dave Chapell,” was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly rushed the stage and attacked comedian Dave Chappelle https://t.co/VnBlug41UL
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 4, 2022
Dave Chappelle’s alleged attacker, Isaiah Lee, wrote a rap song named after Comedian. https://t.co/Q6oWawVXm8
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 4, 2022
Lee was taken to the hospital for treatment and released for booking, Hernandez said. Detectives did not release details on his condition, she said.
Footage from the scene shows the man identified as Lee being carried into an ambulance. He was conscious, but his right arm was visibly twisted, with his elbow facing forward.
Definitely don’t tackle #DaveChappelle while he’s performing on stage ? pic.twitter.com/X0Lbi8ghsf
— AlexGB.sfm (@ab_a_w_p) May 4, 2022
Just came out of the Hollywood Bowl where a man charged and tackled Dave Chapelle on stage and got his ass kicked by at least 10 people.
LAPD and LAFD are now loading him into an ambulance pic.twitter.com/7SXPe9e8az
— Brianna Sacks (@bri_sacks) May 4, 2022
Lee is being held on a $30,000 bond. Court records were not available, and an attorney was not identified. Jail records do not indicate a scheduled hearing.
[Image via @ab_a_w_p]
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