Dave Chappelle releases statement about attack he suffered

(CNN) — A representative for Dave Chappelle released a statement about a member of the public who attacked him Tuesday night while the comedian was performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.“As unfortunate and disturbing as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,” Carla Sims, Chappelle’s representative, said in a statement to CNN. “Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the final musical guests of the night.”

The man who attacked Chappelle, identified as Isaiah Lee, had a knife and is in custody, Los Angeles police told CNN.

Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Lizeth Lomeli told CNN that Chappelle “had finished his act and as he was leaving the stage, a male member of the audience jumped onto the stage and knocked this celebrity to the ground.”

Lee, 23, was arrested on felony assault with a deadly weapon and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, Lomeli said. The victim “was not injured as a result of the crime,” she said.

The weapon was a “knife,” Lomeli said.

Los Angeles Police Officer Rosario Cervantes told CNN the suspect had a knife that was a replica of a gun.

Police later released photos of the gun, which was seized and held as evidence, according to an LAPD statement.

Sims said that Chappelle is “fully cooperating” with the police investigation of the incident.

The motive for the apparent attack remains unclear.

It’s also unclear if Chappelle filed an official police report.

Chappelle was performing on “Netflix is ​​a Joke: The Festival”.

“We care deeply about the safety of creators and strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence,” a Netflix spokesperson told CNN in a statement.

Jed Simon, an audience member attending the show, told CNN that Chappelle was finishing his set and was about to introduce a musical act when a man came onstage and tackled the comedian.

Simon said he was sitting in the third row and enjoying the performance with his friends when he witnessed the incident.

“A guy in front of us just walked up on stage. I was like ‘what the hell is going on? He came from the audience.’ Simon told CNN. “Next thing I know, he lunges at Dave and knocks him to the ground very aggressively. I’m like, what’s going on?”

CNN correspondent Rachel Crane was also in the audience and described the chaos after the attack.

According to Crane, the suspect was wearing a backpack. He was being dragged to stage right, where he was being cut down, when Chappelle said, “Don’t do it onstage, take it out.”

CNN has reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Hollywood Bowl for more information.

CNN’s Jay McMichael and Brian Lowry contributed to this report.