The man who allegedly attacked Dave Chappelle’s while the comedian was on stage performing at the Hollywood Bowl will not face felony charges despite carrying a knife that looked like a gun during the attack.
The decision was made after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said that the incident didn’t warrant a felony so they were handing off the case to the LA City Attorney’s office.
“After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct. The District Attorney’s Office does not prosecute misdemeanor crimes within the city of Los Angeles.”
Hours later 23-year-old Isaiah Lee was hit with four misdemeanor charges,
- Battery
- Possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault
- Unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance
- Commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer.
Lee was initially arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and booked into jail on $30,000 bail.
The decision from the liberal DA George Gascón drew immediate backlash from Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami who said,
“Anyone who arms themselves with a deadly weapon, in this case a knife, and violently attacks an innocent person, famous or not, should be charged accordingly. With only a misdemeanor charge, the person could be released soon, with only a slap on the wrist. That fails to provide justice to the victim, accountability for this person’s actions and safety to the general public. These concepts, however, like public safety and justice, that most of us value, are concepts George Gascón can care less about.”
