How's that recall petition drive going? Gascón's denial of this request should put it over the top

Dave Chapelle’s lawyer has asked Los Angeles DA Gascon to refile felony charges against his attacker

Chapelle was attacked by Isaiah Lee while he performed on stage at The Hollywood Bowl. Lee was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as he reached for a fake gun capable of producing a knife blade during the assault. Gascón then announced that his office was not going to press any felony charges against Lee, instead charging him with four misdemeanors, according to Rolling Stone.

“We request that DA Gascón reconsider, correct this mistake and charge this as a felony,” Chappelle’s lawyer Gabriel Colwell told Rolling Stone in another article, “This is what Mr. Chappelle wants. Mr. Chappelle wants this case charged as a felony.” Colwell went on to say that, “Entertainers in Los Angeles need to know that the justice system will protect them on stage.”

“Ten thousand people saw Dave Chappelle assaulted on stage at the Hollywood Bowl last Tuesday night, and the assailant had a deadly weapon on him. The fact that this isn’t charged as a felony case by the DA is insane,” Colwell continued, Rolling Stone noted.

As of last week, Gascón’s opponents have collected 400,000 of the 567,000 signatures necessary to get their recall petition on this fall’s ballot. The deadline is July 6th, and the District Attorney is certainly doing his part to see that they get there.