The man who allegedly tackled Dave Chappelle onstage Tuesday night has been charged.
According to the Daily Beast, 23-year-old Isaiah Arias Lee was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon; Lee was reportedly carrying a replica gun with a blade inside.
Reports from the Hollywood Bowl show, which was part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, claim Chappelle joked “It was a trans man” after Lee was removed from the stage, referencing the backlash around transphobic material in his specials.
The Daily Beast also notes that Lee is an aspiring rapper who goes by Noname_Trapper. He uploaded a track to YouTube in June 2020 titled “Dave Chappell.” Comments on the video have been turned off, and his Instagram has been wiped. Lee reportedly posted an Instagram story Tuesday, wearing the same sweatshirt as he did when he tackled Chappelle.
The NY Post points out that the opening line of that 2020 track, which sounds like “Walking straight into the bowl,” could be a reference to the Hollywood Bowl, though that is a bit tenuous. Lee’s older brother, Aaron, told Rolling Stone that he chose that title for SEO purposes.
Lee’s bail is set at $30,000. LAPD told BuzzFeed it’s still not clear what Lee’s motive was, or how he got through beefed-up security.
We reached out to Lee and Netflix for comment.
