The man who attacked comedian Dave Chappelle on stage at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night had a replica handgun with a knife blade, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Chappelle was performing on stage as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival around 10:40 p.m. when a man who was in the audience jumped onto the stage and tackled the comedian.
The man, later identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, had what appeared to be a handgun in his hand, LAPD said in a news release.
The item later turned out to be a replica that contained a blade, according to the department.
Security personnel and others who were near Chappelle quickly got Lee away from the comedian, who was not injured, police said.
Lee was detained by security until LAPD officers responded to the scene.
The suspect was first taken to a local hospital for injuries he got during the scuffle, and then booked on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon.
He was being held on $30,000 bail, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Information Center.
It’s unclear how Lee made it past security with a replica gun and into the Hollywood Bowl, where guests usually pass through metal detectors and have their bags checked.
KTLA has reached out to the venue’s operator, which released the following statement:
“The safety of our artists, visitors and staff is the LA Phil’s top priority. The incident that occurred at the Hollywood Bowl on May 3, 2022 remains an active investigation, and we are unable to comment further at this time,” a Los Angeles Philharmonic Association spokeswoman said in an email.
A spokeswoman for Chappelle said the comedian saw record-breaking sales at the Hollywood Bowl and “refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.”
“As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,” the spokeswoman said in a statement sent to KTLA, adding that the comedian is fully cooperating with the police investigation.
