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Man says throwing banana peel at Dave Chappelle was heckling

FILE - This Sunday, July 6, 2014 file photo Dave Chappelle performs at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Santa Fe police say a man tossed a banana peel at Chappelle during a show, hitting in the comedian in the leg. Police Lt. Andrea Dobyns says 30-year-old Christian Englander of Santa Fe was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and battery after the fruit throw Monday, March 30, 2015 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in the northern New Mexico city. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert,File) FILE - This Sunday, July 6, 2014 file photo Dave Chappelle performs at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Santa Fe police say a man tossed a banana peel at Chappelle during a show, hitting in the comedian in the leg. Police Lt. Andrea Dobyns says 30-year-old Christian Englander of Santa Fe was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and battery after the fruit throw Monday, March 30, 2015 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in the northern New Mexico city. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert,File)

By Associated Press April 2, 2015 1 min read

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A man arrested after throwing a banana peel that hit comedian Dave Chappelle in the leg during a performance in Santa Fe says it was just an act of heckling and that he “thought a joker could take a joke.”

Christian Englander was arrested Monday night on suspicion of battery and disorderly conduct.

The 30-year-old told the Albuquerque Journal newspaper (http://goo.gl/9zoLc7 ) that he threw the banana peel because he objected to Chappelle making jokes at the expense of his friend.

Englander says the toss has been misconstrued as a racial attack on Chappelle, who is black. Englander is white.

Police said after the arrest that Englander appeared to be highly intoxicated. Englander said he’d had a shot of liquor and “definitely felt warm and fuzzy.”