Venue owners fear misdemeanour charges are too lenient

The man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle on stage this week has pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanour counts.

Isaiah Lee was originally arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, after police officers said he was carrying a replica handgun containing a blade, releasing this image:

However Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it had decided not to press felony charges. Instead elected city attorney Mike Feuer revealed he was bringing the lesser charges on Twitter.

In a video, he said: ‘The alleged attack has to have consequences’ and said charges would be brought alleging ‘battery, possession of a weapon with the intention to assault and charges relating to interfering with a performance’.

He added: ‘My office takes protecting public safely extremely seriously and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case.'

After his plea in a Los Angeles court, Lee, 23, will remain in jail unless he can post  $30,000 bail. He is due back in court on May 20.

The decision to press only misdemeanour charges was greeted with dismay by some venue owners.

New York comedy club owner Dani Zoldan told Fox News: ‘This is shocking to hear… I'm curious what they would consider felony conduct. People should be held accountable for their actions. Not charging this person appropriately sends a message that it's OK to physically harm someone. It's really outrageous.’

And Jamie Masada, owner of the LA’s Laugh Factory  said: It is so unjust… It is just not right.’

The altercation occurred when Chappelle was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is A Joke tour on Tuesday when a man rushed the stage and charged headlong into him.

In the words of police, venue security staff ‘engaged the suspect and removed him from the victim and took him into custody’

Or in the words of reporter Brianna Sacks ‘he got his ass kicked by at least 10 people’ – and he was taken to hospital before his arrest.

Chappelle was not injured as a result of the assault.

Since his arrest it has emerged that Lee posted rap videos online under the name  NoName_Trapper – including one entitled Dave Chappell, the lyrics of which repeatedly say: ‘Life with you n***a be joke’, but it's unclear if he was a fan. 

Chappelle has been the subject of protests about transphobic material in his Netflix special – but it is not known if that motivated the stage attack. However, the comic did joke that his assailant was a ‘trans man’.

He also told the audience: ‘I’ve been doing this 35 years, I just stomped [someone] back stage.’

Published: 6 May 2022