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No felony charge for man who tackled Dave Chappelle on stage

Posted May 05, 2022 7:00 am

By ANDREW DALTON

FILE - Dave Chappelle appears during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Chappelle was tackled during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Security guards chased and overpowered the attacker, and Chappelle was able to continue his performance while the man was taken away in an ambulance. (AP Photo/David Richard, File) The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The man who tackled comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl will not be charged with any felonies, the district attorney's office said Thursday.

Isaiah Lee, 23, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, police said, 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 'œNetflix Is a Joke'ť festival.

He was carrying a replica handgun with a large blade that folded out of it similar to a pocket knife, according to a photo released by police.

'œAfter reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,'ť the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement.

The case has been referred to the Los Angeles city attorney's office, which prosecutes misdemeanors within the city. An email seeking comment from the office was not immediately returned.

Jail records showed Lee was still being held Thursday in lieu of $30,000 bail, Mendez said. It was not immediately known if he had retained a lawyer, and the motive for the attack was unclear.

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.

Security guards chased and overpowered Lee, who was taken away in an ambulance for treatment of an unspecified injury.

'œThe 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," Chapelle's publicist Carla Sims said in a statement.

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.

Rock was also in the wings of Chappelle's show, He grabbed the mic and jokingly asked, 'œWas that Will Smith?'ť

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton

This photo combination provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows the fake handgun with the real knife blade inside that was taken from the man who attacked comedian Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl, Tuesday, May 2, 2022. Security guards overpowered the attacker, Isaiah Lee, 23, who was detained and arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Chappelle was able to continue his performance.(Los Angeles Police Dept. via AP) The Associated Press

FILE - Dave Chappelle, presenter for JAY-Z, speaks during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Chappelle was tackled during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Security guards chased and overpowered the attacker, and Chappelle was able to continue his performance while the man was taken away in an ambulance. (AP Photo/David Richard, File) The Associated Press

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