The man who allegedly attacked Dave Chappelle onstage during his set at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival earlier in May is facing an attempted murder charge unrelated to the comedy fest fiasco.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on Thursday that his office has filed an attempted murder charge against Isaiah Lee for allegedly stabbing his roommate in December.
Isaiah Lee, 23, faces one count of attempted murder, according to a news release from Gascón.
Lee is charged with stabbing his roommate during a fight at a transitional housing apartment on December 2. Because of the amount of media attention stemming from the alleged attack on Chappelle, “the victim recently identified Lee as the person who committed the assault he had previously reported to police.”
“The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime,” said District Attorney Gascón. “The incident that occurred at the Hollywood Bowl was misdemeanor conduct and rightfully referred to the City Attorney’s Office. Based on the nature and severity of the December attack, Mr. Lee is now facing felony charges which my office will prosecute.”
Lee pleaded not guilty to the charge on Thursday. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
While performing a set at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Chappelle, 48, was knocked to the ground after a man in a black hoodie rushed the stage.
The attacker, who police later identified as Lee, then attempted to flee but was stopped by security guards and members of Chappelle’s team.
Following the attack, several other people sprung into action to help Chappelle, including Chris Rock, who had performed earlier in the night.
A witness said, “Jamie Foxx also jumped onto the stage and “got involved in the scuffle.”
Police initially said that Lee would be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, he was allegedly carrying a “replica handgun-slash-knife”, which is a felony, but on May 5, a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson issued a statement that the office “has referred the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for misdemeanor filing consideration.”
Hours after the case was referred, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced new charges against Lee.
“The suspect allegedly was carrying a weapon,” said Feuer of the “replica handgun with a knife.”
“This alleged attack has got to have consequences, and this afternoon, my office has filed charges alleging battery, possession of a weapon with the intent to assault, and charges relating to interfering with a performance,” he added.”
