The man charged with attacking comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance in May has pleaded no contest and was sentenced to jail Wednesday.
Isaiah Lee, 24, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of battery and entering a restricted area during a live event during a hearing on Dec. 14 and was immediately sentenced to 270 days in jail, Deadline reported.
A “no contest” plea means that the accused does not admit guilt despite that the plea results in an immediate conviction. Lee had initially pleaded not guilty after his arrest in May.
A judge rejected a request by Lee’s defense for a diversion program that would have led to his charges being dropped if successfully completed.
Lee remains in jail on an unrelated case still pending where he is accused of stabbing his roommate at a transitional housing facility last year. Lee was arrested and charged in this case several weeks after he attacked Chappelle on an L.A. stage.
File/Dave Chappelle, presenter for JAY-Z, speaks during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Chappelle was tackled during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Security guards chased and overpowered the attacker, and Chappelle was able to continue his performance while the man was taken away in an ambulance. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
The troubled man was taken into custody by police on May 4 after he allegedly rushed the stage and pointed a replica handgun at Chappelle, the LAPD said at the time. Police recovered the replica gun, which they said contained a knife blade.
The police charged Lee with a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, with bail set at $30,000. But George Soros-funded Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón downgraded the charges to misdemeanors. That Lee was not hit with any felony charges infuriated Chappelle.
After his arrest and initial release for attacking the comedian, Lee claimed Chappelle’s anti-trans jokes “triggered” him.
“I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” Lee said. “I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.”
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