Man Accused Of Attacking Dave Chappelle Charged In Prior Stabbing

LOS ANGELES, CA — A man accused of an on-stage assault in early May of comedian Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl was charged Thursday with a separate case of suspected attempted murder of his roommate, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

Isaiah Lee, 23, faces one count of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his roommate during a fight at a transitional housing apartment on Dec. 2, authorities said.

“The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime,” Gascón said.

After the May 3 attack, the District Attorney’s Office referred a misdemeanor assault case involving Lee to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for an on-stage assault with comedian Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl.

Authorities said Lee rushed the stage May 3 at the Bowl around 10:45 p.m. while Chappelle was performing as part of the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.

Online video from the date showed Chappelle being thrown to the ground while the venue's security staff rushed on stage to subdue the assailant, and among those running to protect Chappelle was actor/comedian Jamie Foxx.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the suspect was in possession of a replica handgun equipped with a retractable knife blade.

“The incident that occurred at the Hollywood Bowl was misdemeanor conduct and rightfully referred to the City Attorney’s Office. Based on the nature and severity of the December attack, Mr. Lee is now facing felony charges which my office will prosecute,” the district attorney said.

Lee pleaded not guilty to the charge Thursday and is scheduled to return June 2 in Department 32 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. For reference, Case BA505489 was filed for warrant May 18.

The case is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, officials said.

After the Hollywood Bowl incident, Chappelle quickly regained his composure and continued performing. He joked, "It was a trans man," a reference to controversy surrounding some of Chappelle's jokes in a previous Netflix special that some condemned as transphobic. Chappelle also thanked Foxx for helping to subdue the suspect.

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