Comic Dave Chappelle Tackled Onstage Throughout LA Pageant Present – NBC Los Angeles

A person who police stated was armed with a reproduction gun rushed a stage and tackled comic Dave Chappelle as he was acting at a Los Angeles comedy pageant late Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Police Division early Wednesday confirmed the assault, saying the weapon the person was carrying can eject a knife blade “once you discharge it appropriately.” It’s unclear if the fan made an try to make use of the weapon.

A number of movies and accounts posted on-line confirmed the person climbing onto the entrance of the Hollywood Bowl stage and dashing towards Chappelle. A minimum of one video confirmed the comic falling to the ground, with a number of different individuals dashing to apprehend the individual.

The attacker, a member of the viewers on the present, was detained by the venue’s safety staff and later taken to the hospital with “superficial accidents,” the LAPD stated. A video posted on-line of the alleged attacker appeared to the unidentified man on a stretcher along with his elbow bent at an odd angle.

Neither Chappelle nor any officer was injured, police stated.

Buzzfeed reporter Brianna Sacks additionally shared a video exhibiting the person being loaded onto an ambulance. Sacks stated that, earlier than the assault, the comic spoke about elevated safety round him within the wake of widespread backlash for jokes he has made in regards to the transgender group. Some Netflix workers within the fall staged a walkout in Hollywood to protest the corporate’s determination to hold considered one of Chappelle’s comedy specials, “The Nearer,” which they stated included trans-phobic remarks.

A motive for the Tuesday evening assault just isn’t clear.

Chappelle on Tuesday night was performing his act on the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater as a part of the Netflix Is a Joke: The Pageant, happening from April 28 to Could 8. Different acts listed within the lineup alongside Chappelle included Leslie Jones, Jon Stewart and Chris Rock — a comic who additionally lately confronted violence onstage when he was slapped by Will Smith on the Academy Awards in March.

Representatives for Dave Chappelle and the Hollywood Bowl couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.

The venue stated on its web site that the present can be a “phone-free expertise” and that attendees can be required to safe their telephones inside specifically designed pouches. A minimum of one individual sharing a video of the incident stated that they had “forgotten” a second telephone of their bag.