Dave Chappelle -- Drunken Idiot Arrested After Throwing Banana Peel

Dave Chappelle was the victim of a drunken racist attack during a New Mexico show -- a guy in the crowd threw a banana peel at him ... then got thrown in jail for it.

Santa Fe cops busted Christian Englander after he hit Chappelle in the leg with the banana Monday night. Not shockingly ... police say he appeared to be wasted, and confessed to doing it.

Englander told cops he was angry because Chappelle had singled out his friend who was drawing in a book. He says the friend identified himself as "Johnny Appleseed" ... and then Dave started cracking on him. Ironically, Englander says he thought Dave was making racist jokes at his friend's expense ... and that's why he whipped the banana peel.

He was booked for battery and disorderly conduct.

During the show, Chappelle got pretty angry and started threatening -- jokingly he said -- to retaliate if he found out who threw the peel.