Chappelle attacker got replica gun with knife blade past security

A 23-year-old man carrying a replica handgun with a folding knife blade in the barrel ran onstage and tackled Dave Chappelle during the comedian’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl late Tuesday, apparently evading several layers of security.

Isaiah Lee was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $30,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD sources said Lee, carrying a bag with the knife inside, was able to get past security searches and metal detectors. Despite not being credentialed, he got onto the stage without being challenged, the sources said.

A video of the incident shows the man rushing from the left side of the stage as Chappelle is about halfway through his performance. He appears to put his head down as he charges at the comedian, knocking Chappelle backward. The attacker retreats across the stage as security swarms him.

Video shows paramedics putting the restrained man, who appeared to have an arm injury, onto a stretcher behind the stage.

Chappelle was uninjured and continued the show. But the incident shocked fans and prompted a huge police response.

It also heightened existing worries about the safety of comedians in the wake of Will Smith’s infamous slap of Chris Rock during the Oscars after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Chappelle had addressed that situation earlier in his performance.

Chappelle is cooperating with the police investigation into the incident, a spokeswoman for the comedian said.

The motive for the attack was unknown. Officials are not sure how the weapon got through Hollywood Bowl security. The venue, which is owned and operated jointly by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, uses metal detectors to screen visitors.