Isaiah Lee, the man charged with attacking Dave Chappelle during a stand-up show, has been charged in a separate case with attempted murder.
On Thursday (May 19), the Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced his office had filed an attempted murder charge against Lee, 23, for allegedly stabbing his roommate at a transitional housing apartment during a fight on December 2.
According to police, publicity generated from the attack against Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl on May 3 helped the alleged victim of the stabbing identify Lee.
In a statement, Gascon said: “The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime. The incident that occurred at the Hollywood Bowl was misdemeanour conduct and rightfully referred to the City Attorney’s Office.
“Based on the nature and severity of the December attack, Mr. Lee is now facing felony charges which my office will prosecute.”
Lee has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge.
In the alleged attack against Chappelle, Lee was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. According to the LAPD, the suspect was carrying a replica gun and a blade similar to a pocket knife.
On May 12, the LA County District Attorney’s Office announced that it had declined to pursue felony charges, with Lee facing four counts of misdemeanour.
Chappelle recently joked about the attack in a set where he was joined by comedian Chris Rock, following his altercation with Will Smith at the Oscars.
Meanwhile, Netflix has confirmed Chappelle’s Hollywood Bowl set will not air on the streaming platform.
The streaming giant clarified to The Hollywood Reporter that the omission was not due to the assault, rather that Chappelle had his own cameras and Netflix had no plans to air the footage.
