Los Angeles police say the man who tackled Dave Chappelle onstage Tuesday night at the Hollywood Bowl was carrying a fake gun that featured a blade that folded out, which he pointed at the comedian before security subdued the suspect.
“As he was exiting the stage, a male, who was part of the audience, jumped onto the stage and tackled the comedian to the ground,” an LAPD arrest report stated. “The suspect produced what was later discovered to be a replica handgun and pointed the item at the victim. Hollywood Bowl uniformed security officers, who witnessed the incident, engaged the suspect and removed him from the victim and took him into custody.”
See images of the hybrid knife opened and closed below.
The LAPD said Hollywood officers responded and took control of the suspect, who was then cleared to be seen and treated by medical personnel. He was identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee of Los Angeles. He was being held Wednesday with bail set at $30,000.
“The replica handgun that also contained a knife blade was recovered and later processed as evidence,” the arrest report said. “The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was transported to a local hospital to treat injuries sustained during the altercation with security.”
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which runs the Hollywood Bowl, said it could not comment on specifics of the incident with an investigation ongoing but that “the safety of our artists, visitors and staff is the LA Phil’s top priority.”
Videos taken by audience members and posted online show the man running onstage during Chappelle’s appearance at the “Netflix is a Joke Festival” at the iconic outdoor venue in Hollywood. Witnesses reported that Chapelle fought with the man on the floor before he ran off behind an onstage screen with Chappelle giving chase and security eventually subduing him.
Chappelle released a statement through a rep on the incident Wednesday, saying the historic performance, which tied him with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, won’t be “overshadowed” by the incident.
Netflix also released a statement.
“We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence,” a Netflix spokesperson said.