Man Who Tackled Dave Chappelle on Stage Sentenced to 9 Months in Prison

Loree Seitz
·2 min read
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Isaiah Lee, the man who attacked Dave Chappelle on stage during a Los Angeles show in May, was sentenced to nine months in prison Thursday, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

“The defendant took a no contest plea to battery and entering a restricted area during a live event,” the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office told TheWrap in a statement,” adding that “the weapon in the case will be destroyed.”

After tackling the performer at the Hollywood Bowl with a makeshift weapon — a fake gun that had a knife component — Lee was set to face misdemeanor charges of battery and weapon possession with intent to assault, along with unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer.

Though multiple witnesses said Chapelle tussled with the man on the floor before he ran off behind an onstage screen, where security subdued him, Chappelle continued his set and then joked about it later during his performance in the Netflix is a Joke Festival.

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Following the incident, the 23-year-old suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and was transported to a local hospital to treat injuries sustained during the altercation with security before being held on a $30,000 bail.

At the time, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said the assault must “have consequences” as he laid out the changes brought forward against Lee.

“What should have been an evening of laughter at the Hollywood Bowl this past Tuesday night was suddenly interrupted when suspect Isaiah Lee allegedly charged onto the stage and tackled comedian Dave Chappelle,” he began in a video clip shared to Twitter. “My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case.”

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