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

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

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

Movies posted to Twitter appeared to show the one who charged Chappelle being detained outdoors the venue by police after which loaded into an ambulance with visible accidents.

Witnesses said — and videos appeared to show — that the person was set upon by multiple people onstage immediately after he attacked Chappelle. 

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

Whereas your entire debacle was captured in multiple movies shot by members of the viewers, mobile phone use was formally banned through the performance.  

The motivation for the preliminary assault remained unclear, and there was no instant response from the Los Angeles Police Department to CBS News' request for details about the incident.

Just got here out of the Hollywood Bowl the place a person charged and tackled Dave Chapelle on stage and got his ass kicked by a minimum of 10 folks.

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

Comedian Chris Rock was on the show, 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 last year from the transgender community 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 regardless of a whole lot of its personal employees staging a walk-out over what they deemed Chappelle's transphobic jokes.

The comic later stated he'd be completely satisfied to satisfy with any member of the transgender group, but that he wouldn't be swayed by "anybody's demands" to censor his routine.

"To the transgender group, I am more than prepared to present you an audience, however you will not summon me. I'm not bending to anybody's demands," he informed an audience in a clip posted to his Instagram. 

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

"If you happen to wanna meet with me, I might be greater than prepared to, however I have circumstances: To start with, you can't come in case you have not watched my particular from beginning to finish. You could 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 on the CBS Information London bureau.