It’s no joke: Dave Chappelle was tackled on stage while playing the Netflix Is a Joke festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, allegedly rushed the stage when Chappelle was performing, and shoved Dave to stage floor, where the comic tussled with the unknown assailant. The suspect then ran away behind a screen on stage, where he was tackled by security.
The 48-year-old comedian and Mark Twain Award winner was apparently uninjured in the altercation, and actually ran towards the scrum with security, where it appeared the suspect was getting “stomped,” according to the comic. Chappelle repeatedly demanded he be ejected from the historic venue, according to the ABC News affiliate.
Authorities say the suspect, who was wheeled out of the venue in a hospital gurney, was reportedly armed with a “gun-shaped knife.” Video circulating online and verified by ABC News showed the chaotic scene outside the Hollywood Bowl after the show, as police and medics loaded a person, presumed to be the suspect, into an ambulance.
Chappelle’s show continued after the attack, with Chris Rock joining Dave and joking, “Was that Will Smith?” — of course, a callback to the slap he suffered at the hands of the star during this year’s Oscars telecast.
Lee is being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. ABC News reports the LA County DA’s Office will determine what charges, if any, will be filed. In the meantime, Lee’s bail has been set at $30,000.
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