The curse of Will Smith has struck another comedian late last evening, when Dave Chappelle was attacked onstage during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
In video posted to social media, someone in the crowd can be seen running onto the stage before leveling Chappelle as security officers race to intervene.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the incident, telling NBC Los Angeles that the male suspect had been armed with a replica gun that could eject a knife blade when discharged correctly. It was unclear if the suspect made an attempt to use the weapon.
The LAPD said the suspect had been in the audience prior to the attack, then jumped on stage and attacked Chappelle just as he was about to leave the stage. The comedian was performing at the “Dave Chappelle and Friends” show, which was part of the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.
Security guards hired for the show intervened and pulled the suspect off the comedian, before detaining him,police said. They said the suspect sustained superficial injuries during the altercation and was taken to hospital following the event.
Chappelle was not injured in the attack, they said.
Brianna Sacks, a BuzzFeed News reporter who attended the show and witnessed the altercation, told NBC News she was left stunned after the suspect “charged and tackled Chappelle.”
She said both uniformed security workers and people in plain clothes appeared to rush to Chappelle’s aid and had started “kicking and punching” the suspect in an assault that went on for several minutes.
She said Chappelle later continued the show, joking about the altercation, which she said appeared to have left some audience members in shock. “We all kind of stood there frozen,” she said.
One social media user who attended the event, Jed Simon, applauded Chappelle for returning to the stage, calling him a “great sport.”
Sharing video of Chapelle’s return as fans cheered, he said actor Jamie Foxx had also ran up on stage from his seat during the incident.
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