Police have released images of the fake gun used by Dave Chappelle’s attacker, saying the replica model also contained an ejecting knife blade.
Chappelle had been performing at the Netflix Is A Joke festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Tuesday 3 May when a man ran onto the stage and tackled him to the ground.
Isaiah Lee was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, with the Los Angeles Police Department saying his bail is set at $30,000.
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The force has now shared photos of Lee’s ‘replica handgun’, which was recovered and processed as evidence.
The LAPD tweeted: “An arrest has been made in an incident where a comedian was attacked while on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. Isaiah Lee was charged with Assault with a Deadly Weapon and bail is set at $30,000.”
In a statement, the department said Lee had been in the audience when he jumped onto the Hollywood Bowl stage and attacked Chappelle, before pointing the fake gun at him.
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The statement said: “On May 3, 2021, around 10:40 p.m., a comedian was performing at the Hollywood Bowl and had finished his act.
“As he was exiting the stage a male, who was part of the audience, jumped onto the stage and tackled the comedian to the ground.
“The suspect 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.”
Journalist Brianna Sacks, who had been at the show, described how the man 'charged' just as Chappelle's show was coming to an end, saying there was 'sheer chaos'.
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She tweeted: "The show was just ending when the man hopped onto stage and ran at Chapelle, form tackling him to the ground. The comedian had literally just said he now has more security because of all the uproar from his jokes about the Trans community.
"Security et al rushed and started punching and kicking the shit out of Chapelle’s attacker. He was just about to bring on Talib Kweli and Mos Def for the encode and we in the crowd were like what the fuck is going on. Chapelle kept on while the guy was getting beat in the back."
The LAPD said officers in Hollywood responded for a call for service and ‘took control of the suspect’.
“The replica handgun that also contained a knife blade was recovered and later processed as evidence,” police said, adding that Lee was transported to a local hospital to treat ‘injuries sustained during the altercation with security’.
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Chappelle, meanwhile, was ‘not injured’ as a result of the assault.
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Jess Hardiman