Dave Chappelle Attacker Sentenced to 270 Days in Jail After Pleading No Contest

Isaiah Lee, the man who randomly attacked comedian Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl back in May, has been sentenced to 270 days in jail as a result of his no contest plea.

According to Complex, the verdict came down on Wednesday and is a switch up from the initial plea deal offer he received earlier this summer. As previously reported by The Root, Lee was charged with misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor possession of a deadly weapon with intent to assault and two violations related to storming the stage and interfering with a performance. After hearing the charges, Chappelle and his lawyer, Gabriel Colwell, urged L. A. County District Attorney George Gascón to rethink his decision and instead charge Lee with a felony.

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However, D.A. Gascón ultimately concluded that because Chappelle wasn’t physically injured and Lee was considered unarmed—due to the fact that the switchblade inside the replica gun he was carrying was folded during the attack—the DA concluded “[Mr. Lee’s] behavior under California law did not, and I repeat, did not amount to felony conduct.” The case was subsequently referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

Chappelle recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the third time last month, where he discussed recent newsmakers like Kanye West, Kyrie Irving, Herschel Walker and Donald Trump. His sentiments regarding Jewish people in his nearly 15-minute opening monologue drew ire from the Anti-Defamation League CEO and responses from fellow comedians Jon Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld—both of whom identify as Jewish.

“Whether it be comedy or discussion or anything else, if we don’t have the wherewithal to meet each other with what’s reality then how do we move forward?” Stewart said in part. “If we all just shut it down, then we retreat to our little corners of misinformation and it metastasizes. The whole point of all this is to not let it metastasize and to get it out in the air and talk about it.”

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