(Photo : Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The man who attacked Dave Chappelle during a stage performance in Los Angeles early this month was charged with attempted murder on Thursday, according to authorities.
The man who attacked Dave Chappelle during a stage performance in Los Angeles early this month was charged with attempted murder on Thursday, according to authorities.
Isaiah Lee, 23, allegedly stabbed his roommate during a fight that happened on Dec. 2 at an apartment, as per a media release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, as per an NBC News report.
According to the statement, the roommate reported the attack to authorities, but it was only after notoriety from the May 3 incident with Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl that he recognized his assailant as Lee.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón stated that Lee is facing felony charges "based on the nature and severity of the December attack".
The police have identified the man who attacked comedian Dave Chappelle on stage, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee https://t.co/Wk9toqkwko pic.twitter.com/eqR3BWcTsb
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 4, 2022
More information regarding the altercation and the time it took to identify Lee was not readily available. A request for comment from the prosecutor's office was not returned immediately.
At a hearing on Thursday, Lee pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor's office said. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 2 and the case was filed for warrant on May 18, according to a report from KTLA.
It's unclear whether Lee has hired a lawyer to represent him. A request for comment about the latest charge was not promptly returned by his lawyer in the Hollywood Bowl case.
Lee is accused of assaulting Chappelle on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in early May.
Attacker Has Mental Health Problem
According to LAPD spokesperson Officer Lizeth Lomeli, the stand-up comic "had finished his act" and when he was exiting the stage, a male from the audience jumped on the stage and tackled Chappelle "to the ground," per CNN.
Police recovered a weapon from Lee which they described as a replica handgun and a knife blade.
In the Chappelle case, Lee is facing four misdemeanor charges and pleaded not guilty to all.
Lee's lawyer, Chelsea Padilla, told a judge that her client is undergoing mental health treatment from a local nonprofit group.
Two nights after the incident at the Hollywood Bowl, Dave Chappelle did a secret comedy show at the Comedy Storey in Los Angeles, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Later in the performance, Chappelle disclosed convincing venue security that he "needed to talk" to his alleged attacker and allow him to enter the room where Lee was detained.
Dave Chappelle said that the assailant appeared mentally unstable, but the comedian still asked what provoked his attack. Lee told a story about his grandmother from Brooklyn, who had been displaced due to gentrification. Chappelle stated the incident was intended to draw attention to her condition.
Chappelle and Rock Get Back at Their Attackers
During the performance, the 48-year-old also expressed his appreciation for people who reached out after the attack.
At that moment, fellow celebrity comedian Chris Rock joined Chappelle onstage. Both comedians joked about the controversial attacks they experienced, which delighted the crowd.
Chappelle told Rock, "At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair." Rock and the audience laughed.
Then Rock responded: "I got smacked by the softest n-a that ever rapped."
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