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.
