Culture

Dave Chappelle Was Attacked On Stage By A Man Who Was Armed With A Weapon That Could Eject A Knife Blade

Dave Chappelle was performing a standup set at the Hollywood Bowl in LA last night when the unexpected happened.

By Gina Florio1 min read
dave chappelle
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The Hollywood Bowl is a well-known destination for live performances in LA, from musicians to comedians. Dave Chappelle was on stage last night when he was suddenly tackled by a 23-year-old man yielding a weapon.

Dave Chappelle Was Attacked by a Man with a Weapon

It seemed to come out of nowhere – a young man lunged at Chappelle while he was mid-sentence and tackled him. Audience members were able to capture some footage and photos of what took place, but cell phones were officially prohibited in the amphitheater so people weren't able to get a clear recording of what took place.

The man was quickly taken down by Chappelle's security team and taken behind the stage, where he was neutralized. Shortly after, Chappelle returned to the stage and continued his set. He reportedly made a few jokes about how it was Will Smith who attacked him and also joked that "it was a trans man" who lunged at him.

Chappelle wasn't injured by the incident – but the same can't exactly be said for his attacker. There is some footage of him being wheeled out to the ambulance with a nasty twisted arm.

The motive of the attacker is still unknown, but the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC that the suspect was armed with a replica gun that could eject a knife blade. Thankfully, the weapon wasn't used on Chappelle, and it's unknown whether the suspect intended on using the weapon on the comedian.

Chapelle has come under fire for some of his jokes in the past, particularly his jokes about trans people (although he has made it very clear that he is a friend of the trans community).