More information is being revealed about Isaiah Lee, the man who rushed the Hollywood Bowl stage to attack Dave Chappelle. Back in May, Chapelle was performing at the famed Los Angeles venue when his set was interrupted by Lee. The 23-year-old was described as a homeless man at the time of the attack who apparently went after Chappelle following a separate incident involving Lee's former roommate, Dijon Washington.
Deadline reported Washington testified last week that he noticed Lee's behavior was becoming increasingly unpredictable in the months prior to the assault on the comedian.
Rolling Stone stated that Washington told authorities Lee would leave "strange" handwritten notes around and would brag about money and marijuana.
“He was saying, ‘I’m smoking on your brother,’ bragging about how much money he’s making – whatever he was doing – how much weed he was smoking,” Washington reportedly said. “It didn’t make sense to me. He knew my brother had passed away [a] few months before that. It was disrespectful.”
Lee and Washington were said to have had a confrontation in December 2021 after Lee believed his roommate insulted him. During that attack, Lee used a knife that was retracted inside of a fake handgun. Washington reported that "we started tussling" before Lee stabbed him and fled the scene. He confirmed that the weapon used in the attack on him was the same as the knife in the Chappelle incident.
Lee is looking at attempted murder charges in the case with Washington. He pleaded not guilty to charges of battery and other charges in the Chappelle case.
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