LOS ANGELES — Dave Chappelle was tackled while performing stand-up at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
Chappelle, who is a native of D.C., was performing during Netflix is a Joke Presents: Dave Chappelle and Friends. Posts on social media show a man rushing the stage and tackling Chappelle. The man ran away and security staff tackled him. Video from the aftermath of the episode showed the suspect being loaded into an ambulance.
Chappelle was not hurt.
Jamie Foxx was in the wings of the stage and Chappelle thanked him for responding to the attack. Chris Rock was there as well, and jokingly asked if the attacker was Will Smith.
The assailant was carrying a replica handgun with a knife blade inside, authorities said.
Isaiah Lee, 23, was detained and arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, said Officer Alba Mendez, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
Lee was treated by medical staff for an unspecified injury and was booked into the Hollywood Division jail at 3:36 a.m. Wednesday and held in lieu of $30,000 bail, Mendez said. It was not immediately known if he had retained a lawyer.
Mendez said a “famous comedian was performing” when Lee jumped onto the stage, tackled the celebrity and produced the replica handgun containing a knife blade. Mendez said the department did not name the celebrity because it does not confirm victim names.
Chappelle's latest Netflix special, The Closer, set off a storm of controversy when it was released last year. The special includes several jokes about transgender people that some found deeply offensive.
Netflix stood by the special, even after it was criticized as transphobic by some LGBTQ+ advocates and even some Netflix employees.
Since then, Chappelle has released a documentary film and continued to perform. Tuesday's performance was part of a larger Netflix comedy festival, which also included comedian Chris Rock.
Rock went viral in March after he was slapped by Will Smith during the Oscars.