Man accused in attack on Dave Chappelle faces attempted murder charges in separate incident
By Cheri Mossburg, CNN
The man accused of attacking comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance in Los Angeles earlier this month is now facing attempted murder charges — for an entirely different incident.
Isaiah Lee, 23, is accused of stabbing his roommate during a fight at a transitional housing apartment last December, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“As a result of media reports about the Chappelle case,” a release from the DA’s office states, “the victim recently identified Lee as the person who committed the assault he had previously reported to police.”
“Based on the nature and severity of the December attack, Mr. Lee is now facing felony charges which my office will prosecute,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in the statement.
Lee pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court Thursday to face the attempted murder charges.
CNN has reached out to Lee’s attorney for comment.
Lee is accused of leaping on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in early May and attacking Chappelle.
LAPD spokesperson Officer Lizeth Lomeli told CNN at the time that Chappelle “had finished his act and as he was exiting the stage, a male who was part of the audience jumped on the stage and tackle(d) this celebrity to the ground.”
Police described the weapon they say was taken from the suspect as a replica handgun, which also included a knife blade.
Lee faces four misdemeanor charges in the Chappelle case. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Chelsea Padilla, Lee’s lawyer, told a judge he is receiving mental health services from local a local nonprofit organization.
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CNN’s Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
