A man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle during a stand-up comedy show earlier this week will face four misdemeanor counts, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Thursday, hours after the local district attorney declined to press felony charges.
Feuer’s office—which prosecutes misdemeanor crimes in Los Angeles while the district attorney handles felonies—has charged defendant Isaiah Lee with misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in county jail or $2,000 in fines if he’s found guilty.
Lee was also charged with possession of a weapon with intent to assault—likely because he allegedly had a replica gun that contained a knife blade—as well as two local offenses related to disrupting performances.
Earlier Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office said it will not bring more serious felony charges against Lee, arguing “while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct.”
The Los Angeles Times reported Gascón’s office chose not to charge Lee with felony assault with a deadly weapon partly because the replica gun was found in Lee’s bag and wasn’t brandished during the attack, citing unnamed sources.
“This alleged attack has got to have consequences,” Feuer said in a video statement shortly after announcing misdemeanor charges.
During a comedy festival at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, 23-year-old Lee allegedly leaped onstage and tackled Chappelle, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Chappelle wasn’t injured during the incident, and police say Lee was subdued by the venue’s security staff and later arrested and jailed on $30,000 bail. Chappelle’s representative Carla Sims said Wednesday the comedian is “fully cooperating” with a police investigation, calling the incident “unfortunate and unsettling.”
L.A. District Attorney Won’t Press Felony Charges Against Alleged Dave Chappelle Attacker (Forbes)
Comedian Dave Chappelle Attacked On Stage During Netflix Stand-Up Special In Los Angeles (Forbes)
