Dave Chappelle’s suspected attacker, who was charged on Thursday with four misdemeanor counts following the comedian’s onstage assault at the Hollywood Bowl, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to the The Associated Press.
Isaiah Lee, who is 23 years old, faced battery, possession of a weapon with the intent to assault and two charges relating to interfering with and delaying a stage act, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office previously announced.
“My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case,” said LA City Attorney Mike Feuer, after his office stated that Lee would not be facing felony charges.
On Tuesday, Chappelle was tackled by an audience member during his set during the “Netflix is a Joke” festival. Following the incident, authorities apprehended Lee, who the Los Angeles Police Department said was in possession of a fake gun with a knife attachment, which he is alleged to have pointed at the comedian prior to being apprehended by security onstage.
As a result of the attack, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association said it would implement additional security to the Hollywood Bowl, one of the venues the organization operates. This included increasing the number of security personnel for bag checks and “other security procedures,” as well as reviewing current practices.
In a statement per the Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for Chappelle said the comedian “refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment,” in which he tied with Monty Python for the most headlined shows at the venue.
According to witnesses, the controversial comedian — whose anti-trans comments during one of his Netflix specials sparked backlash from audiences and the streamer’s employees, who organized walkouts — fought with the man before running offstage. Later on, Chris Rock and Jamie Foxx were said to have calmed the crowd.
