Man who rushed Dave Chapelle on stage in custody charges attempted murder for stabbing his roommate
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A man charged with assault on comedian Dave Chappelle’s stage has now been charged with attempted murder of a roommate months earlier and is being held in custody.
Isaiah Lee, 23, pleaded not guilty to the December 2021 stabbing that occurred during a fight at a temporary residential facility in Los Angeles, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said.
On Friday, Lee appeared before Judge James R. Dabney in Los Angeles Superior Court at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center on charges of attempted murder against his former roommate Dijon Washington.
Isaiah Lee, 23, has now been arraigned on charges of attempted murder of a roommate in December 2021 and is being held in custody
Lee pleaded not guilty to the December 2021 stabbing that occurred during a fight at a temporary residential facility in Los Angeles, mostly reserved for the homeless.
Lee was dressed in prison garb consisting of a yellow t-shirt and blue pants. His hands were cuffed behind his back,
At the trial, Judge Dabney adjourned the case to Nov. 1.
Washington said at a hearing for the stabbing earlier this month that Lee had become increasingly erratic in the months leading up to the Chappelle attack.
Lee would write strange notes at their temporary housing facility, where he bragged about marijuana use and insulted Washington’s dead brother.
“He said, ‘I smoke on your brother,’ bragging about how much money he makes — whatever he was doing — how much weed he smoked,” Washington testified.
On Friday, Lee appeared before Judge James R. Dabney in Los Angeles Superior Court at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center on his charge of attempted murder against his former roommate Dijon Washington.
Lee was dressed in prison garb consisting of a yellow t-shirt and blue pants. His hands were cuffed behind his back
‘I didn’t feel like it. He knew that my brother had died a few months earlier. It was disrespectful,’ the roommate added.
Tensions rose until December 2 last year, when Washington laughed at Lee’s notes.
“What the hell are you looking at?” Lee asked him before rushing Washington.
“We started bickering and I got stabbed,” Washington testified.
Lee then fled the house.
Lee was originally arrested on May 3 after allegedly rushing the stage and tackling Chappelle during his stand-up set at the Hollywood Bowl.
Lee is accused of storming the Hollywood Bowl stage on May 3 with a folding knife and tackling Chappelle in front of the audience.
Lee had previously reportedly jumped onstage and attempted to attack Dave Chappelle, who was able to evade his attacker and avoid injury. Lee had a knife and was in a replica rifle
The publicity that followed the Chappelle incident led to Lee’s identification and arrest in the previous assault on his roommate, prosecutors said.
He was carrying a replica pistol with a large blade that folded out, similar to a pocket knife, according to police, who released a photo of the weapon.
Chappelle was unharmed and finished the show that was part of the comedy festival ‘Netflix Is a Joke’.
Backstage people, including actor Jamie Foxx and rapper Busta Rhymes, stormed onto the stage to help Chappelle.
The comedian managed to dodge the attack and was not injured, but was clearly caught off guard by the ambush.
Guards chased and overpowered Lee, who was arrested after the scuffle and taken away in an ambulance with a broken arm.
Lee pleaded not guilty to felony charges of battery, possession of a deadly weapon with intent to assault, and two counts of disrupting a public event. He has remained in custody since the attack.
Guards chased and overpowered Lee, who was arrested after the scuffle and taken away in an ambulance with a broken arm
The alleged attacker is accused of rushing towards Chappelle with this replica pistol containing a large blade that popped out, similar to a pocket knife
He was charged with four felonies, including battery, possession of a weapon with intent to attack, unauthorized access to the stage during a performance, and performing any act that delays the event or interferes with the performer.
He has stated that he is not guilty of all charges.
In a prison interview about the Hollywood Bowl incident, he said he was not amused by Chappelle’s kind of humor and that he attacked the strip because he was “triggered” by his jokes about gays and homelessness.
“I identify as bisexual and I wanted him to know what he said triggered that,” Lee said from the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, where he is being held.
“I wanted him to know that next time he should consider running his material first through people who could influence it.”
Lee said he was excited to see Chappelle’s show, recorded live for Netflix, but grew increasingly angry about the content.
He had been homeless before and said the jokes made him emotional and upset.
“I’m also a single father and my son is five,” Lee added.
“It’s a struggle and I wanted to let Dave Chappelle know it’s not a joke.”
He said his breaking point came when another comedian in the show’s lineup made a joke about pedophilia, which Lee said reminisced about being molested when he was 17.
Asked about reports that he suffers from mental health problems, Lee said they were “wrong” and “inaccurate.”
However, his lawyer has said that he is receiving mental health care.
Lee, 23, said in July that he attacked Chappelle because he found his comedy ‘triggering’
The incident took place during Chappelle’s set in the last of a four-night stay at the Hollywood Bowl that was part of the ‘Netflix Is a Joke’ comedy festival.