Jussie Smollett didn't want to report attack, according to police record
Details of the brutal attack against Empire actor Jussie Smollett have been revealed and, in some cases, confirmed in a report from the Chicago Police Department.
Smollett, 36, told police that the assailants, both wearing all black and one wearing a black mask, caught his attention when they mentioned the name of his TV show before attacking him on the street, as he walked home at 2 a.m. on Jan. 29. They then shouted racial and homophobic slurs at the gay actor, beat him, poured an “unknown chemical substance” on him and put a rope around his neck.
Initially, Smollett was reluctant to go to the police, but he “believed it to be in the best interest to,” according to the report. The person who called in the incident, identified as Smollett’s manager, persuaded him.
Officers said they found Smollett at his home with white rope around his neck and stains on his clothes. He was sober. He was advised to go to the hospital and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for scrapes and bruises and released.
The report notes that Smollett showed police where the attack occurred. He also said that he’d received “hate mail” at work, where Empire is filmed, on Jan. 22.
Smollett told police in a follow-up interview that the attackers told him he was in “MAGA country,” referring to President Trump’s campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again,” so that wasn’t in the report.
In a statement issued Friday, Smollett said that he’s OK.
“My body is strong but my soul is stronger,” he wrote. “More importantly I want to say thank you. The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words.”
He performed his music at a show on Saturday at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif.
“I had to be here tonight,” Smollett reportedly told the crowd. “I couldn’t let those [expletives] win. I will always stand for love. I will only stand for love.”
Police continue to search for suspects, reviewing surveillance video that might have captured the attack and asking local stores about the rope placed around Smollett’s neck.
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