Dave Chappelle had just finished a joke about comedians being a target, when someone rushed the stage and attacked him.
In the shocking footage obtained by TMZ, the assailant came out of nowhere, knocking the 48-year-old comedian down as he performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.
Chappelle was able to get to his feet, and security scrambled to apprehend the attacker as the audience wondered what was going on.
The comedian had some pretty high-profile support from the likes of Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock, who were both in attendance.
“Was that Will Smith?” Rock joke on stage, referencing the infamous Oscars incident.
A stunned Foxx also joined Chappelle on stage, saying, “I thought that was part of the show.”
“This man is an absolute genius. We got to make sure we protect him at all times,” Foxx continued.
After the show, Chappelle appeared upset, but not injured.
Photographers caught up to Foxx, who said, “I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Buzzfeed reporter Brianna Sacks was at the show. “It happened out of nowhere. It was extremely fast. [Security and other people] were beating [the suspect] for a long time,” she said.
The suspect has been identified by police as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, a rapper who’s reportedly homeless. He was booked as he was loaded into an ambulance. His face was beaten and swollen, and his handcuffed arm appeared twisted.
In 2020, Lee put out a song called “Dave Chappelle.”
Cops say the assailant was armed with a replica gun that contained a knife. Chappelle was performing at the Hollywood Bowl along with other comedians for a Netflix special. The question is, how did this massive security breach occur?
“The reality is, Dave Chappelle is lucky to be alive. Especially the fact that the guy had a knife. From the moment of recognition when he hit the stage, security should have stopped that guy immediately,” celebrity security expert Kent Moyer said.
The stage crasher has been charged with felony assault with a lethal weapon. He’s being held on $30,000 bail.
