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The California man accused of allegedly barging onstage and tackling comedian Dave Chappelle during a show at the Hollywood Bowl was in court Friday morning to face charges.
Isaiah Lee entered a not guilty plea and his bail was set at $30,000. Lee had a sling and bandaged arm during his court appearance. His next court date is scheduled for May 20.
Lee, 23, was initially charged with a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon after he rushed the stage during Chappelle’s stand-up performance Tuesday night as part of the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.
Chappelle had just completed his act around 10:40 p.m. local time when Lee “jumped onto the stage and tackled the comedian to the ground,” the Los Angeles Police Department said.
DAVE CHAPPELLE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER BEING ATTACKED AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
Lee then allegedly “produced what was later discovered to be a replica handgun and pointed the item at the victim.” Lee was found at the time to have been in possession of a counterfeit black handgun that had a knife attached, police said.
But on Thursday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced downgraded misdemeanor charges. Instead of the felony, Lee was charged with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance and commission of an act that delays an event or interferes with a performer.
“This alleged attack has got to have consequences,” Feuer said, announcing his office’s decision to slap Lee with downgraded misdemeanor charges. “My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case.”
Jail records describe Lee as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, who stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds.
He was being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $30,000 bail.
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The New York Post identified Lee as a rapper. An Instagram search produced someone with the name Isaiah Lee, who appeared to go by the username, “noname_trapper,” and matched the physical description of the suspect.
The California man accused of barging onto the stage and tackling comedian Dave Chappelle during a show at the Hollywood Bowl was in court Friday morning to face charges. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images; LAPD)
The user posted an Instagram story earlier Tuesday wearing the same sweatshirt that the suspect was seen wearing in later photos following his arrest. The Instagram story showed him with his hair up, his hood over his head and a filter of a bloody nose and horns.
A YouTube search for “Noname_trapper” produced dozens of rap videos, including one that shows a man standing on what appears to be a police vehicle, flashing the middle finger.
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One song, posted June 2020, is titled “Dave Chappell” and contains a phrase that sounds like: “Walkin’ straight into the bowl” with a laugh.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hernandez, Julius Young and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
