Dave Chappelle attack: Photo released of bayonet gun suspect had

His representative called the incident ‘unfortunate and unsettling’ but the comedian continued with the show
US-COMEDY-CHAPPELLE-ATTACK
Los Angeles Police Department/AF
Lily Waddell5 May 2022

Police have released a photograph of a replica gun that was recovered from the suspect who allegedly attacked Dave Chappelle on stage in Los Angeles.

The image, shared by the Los Angeles Police Department, showed that the blade was fixed to the barrel of the handgun.

Chappelle has broken his silence to say he refuses to allow an incident on stage to “overshadow the magic” of the night.

This photo combination provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows the fake handgun with the real knife blade inside
AP

The stand-up, 48, was attacked on stage by a man from the crowd when he performed at Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday.

His representative called the incident “unfortunate and unsettling” but the comedian continued with the show after Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped to calm the crowd.

"The performances by Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl were epic and record-breaking and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment,” his representative Carla Sims said.

Previously, Chappelle had sparked furore for some of his jokes about the trans community in the Netflix comedy special The Closer.

His representative added: “Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl.

Reports of the attack emerged after videos started circulating on social media appearing to show a man charging at the comedian on stage
Twitter

“This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.

"As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show. Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humour before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening, hip-hop artists yasiin bey and Talib Kweli, a.k.a. Black Star, who performed music from their new album – the first in nearly 24 years – which was released on Luminary.

“Other special comedic guests last night included Earthquake, Leslie Jones, Jeff Ross, Sebastian, Jon Stewart and Michelle Wolf."

Chappelle is fully cooperating with the active police investigation into this incident.

A man Isaiah Lee, 23, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Earlier, police told NBC Los Angeles the suspect had a replica gun that can eject a knife blade “when you discharge it correctly”.

Comedian Jimmy Carr, who was in the audience, described the show as “crazy”.

He took to Twitter to add: “The Hollywood Bowl show with the legendary Dave Chappelle was crazy. Just happy everyone’s ok.”

Reports of the attack emerged after videos started circulating on social media appearing to show a man charging at the comedian on stage.

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