Dave Chappelle attacked onstage at L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl

Comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked onstage Tuesday evening as he performed at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl arena, with videos from audience members' cellphones shortly flooding social media and displaying a person seem to run onto the stage and deal with the comedian.

Chappelle, whose unapologetic humor has made him a lightning rod for criticism, appeared unscathed by the sudden interruption and later joked (Note: Linked video comprises harsh language together with profanity) with fellow comic and actor Jamie Foxx onstage that he'd taken revenge on his attacker.

Videos posted to Twitter appeared to show the one that charged Chappelle being detained exterior the venue by police after which loaded into an ambulance with visible injuries.

Witnesses stated — and videos appeared to indicate — that the person was set upon by a number of individuals onstage instantly after he attacked Chappelle. 

The idiot getting overwhelmed down after attacking Dave Chappelle at Hollywood Bowl pic.twitter.com/Ft0FIUyjWv

Whereas the whole debacle was captured in multiple videos shot by members of the audience, mobile phone use was officially banned in the course of the performance.  

The motivation for the initial attack remained unclear, and there was no immediate response from the Los Angeles Police Department to CBS News' request for information about the incident.

Simply got here out of the Hollywood Bowl where a person charged and tackled Dave Chapelle on stage and received his ass kicked by no less than 10 individuals.

LAPD and LAFD at the moment are loading him into an ambulance pic.twitter.com/7SXPe9e8az

Comedian Chris Rock was on the present, and jokingly asked if the attacker was Will Smith — who made headlines by bounding up on stage and slapping Rock at the Academy Awards in March.

Chappelle drew a sharp rebuke late final 12 months from the transgender group for jokes at their expense featured in his newest Netflix special, "The Closer," which premiered in October.

Netflix stood by the Washington D.C. native, persevering with to air the special despite hundreds of its personal employees staging a walk-out over what they deemed Chappelle's transphobic jokes.

The comedian later mentioned he'd be happy to meet with any member of the transgender group, but that he would not be swayed by "anyone's calls for" to censor his routine.

"To the transgender community, I am more than willing to provide you an viewers, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody's calls for," he instructed an audience in a clip posted to his Instagram. 

The 48-year-old comedian listed three circumstances for any potential meeting, and responded to fellow comic Hannah Gadsby, who labelled Chapelle's Netflix special "hate speech."

"If you wanna meet with me, I would be greater than prepared to, but I have situations: Initially, you cannot come when you have not watched my particular from starting to end. You should come to a spot of my selecting and a time of my selecting. And thirdly, it's essential to admit that Hannah Gadsby shouldn't be funny."  

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Tucker Reals is the CBSNews.com international editor, primarily based at the CBS News London bureau.