Dave Chappelle's Accused Attacker Requests Transfer to Mental Health Program

Dave Chappelle's accused attacker, Isaiah Lee, has requested a transfer into a mental health program, the New York Post reported.

The 23-year-old appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday morning, during which time the deputy public defender, Chelsea Padilla, requested that he be placed in a mental health diversion program.

Lee has been accused of attacking Chappelle on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during his "Netflix is a Joke" show in Los Angeles in May. A knife was found in his pocket and he was initially arrested for felony assault with a deadly weapon, but those charges were downgraded to misdemeanor battery.

Now Lee is hoping to get out of jail through California's Mental Health Diversion program, which allows a person charged with a crime to go through mental health treatment. The charges can be dismissed if the program is completed, the Post noted.

Los Angeles City Deputy Attorney Giselle M. Fernandez said that prosecutors are going to file an opposing motion. A hearing in the matter has been set for Aug. 23. Meanwhile, the process to move Lee into a diversion program could be a long one, Fernandez said.

"When [the Public Defender] argues that someone does not have the full capacity, usually that person is sent off to get evaluated," Fernandez told the Post on Monday. "They take mental health classes and they are on 'diversion' for a period of time. And if they finish diversion, a case could be dismissed if they do mental health diversion successfully."

The prosecutor added: "There's a lot that goes into it. There has to be an evaluation, and there has to be a motion and the judge has to grant it."

Lee, who initially claimed to not have mental health issues but later admitted to receiving treatment for bipolar disorder, told the Post that Chappelle's jokes about the LGBTQ community and homelessness were triggering.

"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."

Lee insisted he did not want to harm the comedian and pleaded not guilty to the attack.

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