The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has averred that the man who tackled comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl will not be charged with any felonies.
The police said the 23-year-old Isaiah Lee was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, after rushing the stage toward the end of Chappelle’s set in the last of a four-night stint at the outdoor amphitheater as part of the “Netflix Is a Joke” festival.
According to a photo released by police, he was carrying a replica handgun with a large blade that folded out of it similar to a pocket knife.
The statement by the attorney’s office said “After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct”.
Local reports have it that the case has been referred to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which prosecutes misdemeanors within the city.
It was gathered that when the incident happened, people standing in the wings of the stage, including actor Jamie Foxx and rapper Busta Rhymes, rushed on to the stage to try to help Chappelle.
It was clarified that security guards chased and overpowered Lee, who was taken away in an ambulance for treatment of an unspecified injury.
Chapelle’s publicist Carla Sims, in a statement, said “The performances by Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl were epic and record-breaking and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment”.
Reports have it that Chappelle was attacked as he was wrapping up a routine in which he talked about how comedians have to worry more about their personal security in the wake of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony where the Oscar-winning actor slapped Chris Rock on live television in reaction to a joke about his wife.
