By The Big Magazine Staff
It happened again, another performer attacked on stage, this time it was comedian Dave Chappelle. He was attacked onstage on Tuesday night by an armed man as he performed at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl arena.
Videos from audience members' cellphones flooded social media showing a man appear to run onto the stage and tackle the Chappelle. According to a report from the Los Angeles Police Department, the assailant as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee who was armed with a replica handgun that contained a knife blade.
The suspect in Chappelle's on stage attack was arrested Tuesday night around 10:50 p.m. and accused of assault with a deadly weapon. The motivation for the initial attack remained unclear. Lee is being held on $30,000 bail. Chappelle was not injured in the attack.
Comedian Chris Rock was at the show, and jokingly asked if the attacker was Will Smith — who made headlines by slapping Rock at the Academy Awards in March.
Chappelle gained critisim last year for joking at the expense of the transgender community featured in his latest Netflix special, "The Closer," which premiered in October.
Netflix continued to suppport Dave despite hundreds of its own employees staging a walkout over what they deemed Chappelle's transphobic jokes.
Immediately following the attack, Chappelle remained on stage and thanked security, before joking about the incident and describing the individual who attacked him as a "trans man."
Chappelle makes several jokes about the trans community in his standup routine and even boasted during Tuesday night’s performance that he has been recently forced to increase his security amid new threats.
The attack took place toward the end of Chappelle's standup routine. The comedian thanked both Busta Rhymes and Jamie Foxx for helping out following the attack.
"Whenever you're in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat," he told the audience.
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