An audience member who witnessed the onstage attack on Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl is speaking out about the scary incident.
Etienne Maurice, a filmmaker and founder of the non-profit WalkGood LA, was seated in the venue's preferred section watching Chappelle perform on May 3 when a man rushed to the stage and tackled the comedian to the ground. The attack happened at the end of Chappelle's set just as he was about to bring out hip-hop duo Black Star for a surprise performance.
"It was overshadowed by this random person from the audience who just attacked one of the greatest comedians of all time," Maurice exclusively told E! News. "He literally just ran up on stage."
As Chappelle "quickly got back up" from the ground, the man ran towards the back of the stage, where he was followed to by a group of people, Maurice recalled. Maurice was unsure if it was security or stage crew that caught up to the man, though he remembered the people onstage "going crazy." The entire incident lasted about five minutes, he said.
"[It] freaking caught us all off guard," Maurice shared, adding that there was "confusion by all of us in the audience."
He recalled, "We thought at first maybe it was part of the show, but it was definitely not part of the show."
Following the tackle, Maurice said Chappelle appeared to brush off the incident and joked with the audience.
Furthermore, Chris Rock—who performed earlier in the evening as a part of the Netflix Is A Joke Fest—joined Chappelle onstage and made a reference to the infamous Oscars slap, asking the crowd if the man was Will Smith. According to Maurice, the audience "exploded" over the comment, as it was the second time that night Rock had addressed the slap.
Maurice also noted that Jamie Foxx got his quips in, telling the crowd that people have got to "protect Dave Chappelle at all costs."
"It was a fun night," Maurice added. "It was nice to see Dave Chappelle in his element, but definitely upsetting that someone felt the need to get up on the stage and do that."
On May 4, Chappelle's rep told The Hollywood Reporter that the comic "refuses to allow last night's incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment."
Police have identified the man as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after authorities found him in possession of a replica handgun that contained a knife blade, according to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Before he was booked, Lee was treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained during the altercation, police said. His bail has been set at $30,000. On May 6, the LA City Attorney told E! News Lee entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment.
Online records do not yet indicate if Lee has obtained legal representation who can speak on his behalf.
A Netflix spokesperson said in a statement that the company cares "deeply about the safety of creators" and "strongly defend[s] the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence."
This post was updated on May 6 at 5:30 p.m. PT to include Lee's plea.