Chilling new details have emerged in the horrific attack against Jussie Smollett that happened earlier this week.
In the very early hours Tuesday morning, Smollett was reportedly approached by two white men wearing ski masks who shouted, “Aren’t you that f*ggot ‘Empire’ n*gger?” They men then pounced on him, broke his rib, slid a noose around his neck, doused him in bleach, and screamed “This is MAGA country!” then fled the scene.
Smollett was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released a few hours later. Meanwhile, the two alleged assailants remain at large.
Related: Of course conservatives are calling Jussie Smollett a liar and his attempted lynching #fakenews
How about we take this to the next level?
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Now, Chicago police released two surveillance photos of two figures they are calling “persons of interest” in the attack.
In a tweet late yesterday, Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for Chicago PD, wrote:
Hours ago #ChicagoPolice detectives located a surveillance camera that shows potential persons of interest wanted for questioning in reference to the assault & battery of Empire actor. A community alert w/ photos is being constructed and will be disseminated shortly….Photos of people of interest who were in area of the alleged assault & battery of Empire cast member. While video does not capture an encounter, detectives are taking this development seriously & wish to question individuals as more cameras are being reviewed.
Photos of people of interest who were in area of the alleged assault & battery of Empire cast member. While video does not capture an encounter, detectives are taking this development seriously & wish to question individuals as more cameras are being reviewed pic.twitter.com/xJDDygtocr
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) January 31, 2019
Meanwhile, TMZ spoke with a woman who lives in Smollett’s apartment building who claims she saw a suspicious man milling around just an hour and a half before the attack.
TMZ reports:
The woman — who asked us not to use her name — tells TMZ, she walked out of the building at 12:30 AM Tuesday to take her dogs out and saw the man near the door, pacing between the parking garage and entrance, looking agitated and smoking a cigarette. She says, “He looked out of place.”
She described the man as “a white man with scruff on his face” and said he was dressed in “a blue winter beanie, a blue zip-up sweatshirt with a hood and blue jeans that were too short.”
She says she noticed what looked like a rope, or a clothesline, protruding from the bottom of his sweatshirt, made of white and blue material. She says he was staring at another man about 300 feet away, who was standing near another entrance to the building. She says she got “creeped out” by the man, and after 5 minutes she retreated back into the building.
Police say they have reviewed several CCTV videos in the area, but have not yet found any footage of the attack.
Related: Twitter rips into Kevin Hart and D.L. Hughley for their remarks on Jussie Smollett’s attack
MinnesotaNotNice
Hopefully, someone finds out who these two human shitstains are and are arrested. Drive them over to the south side, drop them off and let whatever happens, happen.
Brian
That wouldn’t work, since they clearly have the power to turn invisible and not show up on security footage.
But maybe this highly paid actor lives in a non secure building, in a city with one of the highest crime rates in the country, so there were no security cameras. And none on any of the neighboring buildings, and none installed by the city on streetlights, like they’ve done all over Chicago.
Or maybe they’re vampires.
sean_denoyer
Hope they catch them before the polar vortex ends. Strip them, let them freeze to death, then hang them over the Chicago River.
Trekbike
@Brian the smart azz. Do you live in Chicago?? I lived in the loop for quite some time and I can tell you that everything you said it probably correct. Although, you’re too stupid to know it. You’re just another typical gay azzhole blaming the victim once again. Get over your loser pathetic self. You’re no where near significant but, worthless rather!!!
Tony1129
Exactly!
Brian
I’m not sure what living in Chicago or not has to do with understanding the laws of physics. However, it has been confirmed that his building has security cameras, so I guess I’ll go with the vampire theory
arthurb3
Nothing will happen to them
Trump has legitimatized bullying!
Vince
Yep. That’s them. Two shady white guys just walking around and one even had a rope dangling from their sweatshirt. Clearly he was ready for a lynching.
Omg. Another white dude just walked past my bldg too and he also had a rope tied around something. I’m scared. Oh wait. It’s a dog. Nevermind..
Brian
Wasn’t it her good luck that the rope, which he clearly was trying to hide, just happened to be dangling out from under his sweatshirt? I’m surprised that she also didn’t see him holding a bleach shaped bottle.
Ajdy
I agree something about Jussie story not adding up. I believe Jussie got beat up but what is he doing out at 2am in the morning? The logical conclusion since Jussie is gay he went cruising for sex. Bad things do happen sometimes when cruising. Yes people get bashed it happens. I hope Jussie is not lying. His story does not seem true.
CKNJ
Ajdy have you never been out after midnight? I can’t count the amount of times I have been out after shows, after dinners, socializing, whatever, without being out cruising for sex. Amazing how your mind went there… project much? As for all the comments to this point, Jesus, you guys have become cynical and jaded and just plain nasty!
Brian
We are not cynical, we are rational. At this point, anyone who still believes his story is just gullible.
dinard38
@Adjy So Jussie was cruising on one of the coldest days in Chicago. And because he’s gay and out late that means he was cruising? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?
sean_denoyer
Ajdy. Didn’t realize that the Subway blocks from his apartment was the hot spot for hookups. And it’s already been stated that he just got in from a flight. Not crazy to grab a bite to eat at 2am.
Tony1129
You should avoid commenting because you seem to think this is a joke. Your sarcasm makes you seem small and repugnant.
OzJosh
Years ago I was seriously injured in a car accident, also about 2 in the morning. I later found that various people were spreading the rumour it was really a gay bashing on a well-known beat. Exactly the same homophobic slur ass-wipes on here – with zero evidence – are now spreading. There really is nothing lower than gay gays who will immediately resort to homophobic victim-blaming. Think about how it will feels when it happens to you – and the chances are good that it will.
Mojohood
I call bullshit. He has voiced a huge hatred for Trump. I hope if this is not true, they fire his ass.
cynicalsteve
Hey Vince. Fu#k you. -sincerely, the rest of us
Vince
No thanks. I’m all out of fu*ks to care.
Chrisk
Don’t you mean gulliblesteve..:-)
GoddessHadeev
The story I read at Essence.com said Jussie had just gotten home from NYC, and was going to Subway to grab a bite to eat when he got attacked. Apparently he received some hate mail last week, at FOX TV, where Empire is filmed. It behooves me how folks are quick to victim shame LGBTQ assault victims, but support sex offenders who are celebrities, i.e. R. Kelly and Donald Trump.
Trekbike
@Vince when it comes to you we’ll never be out of Fu*k yous!!
Trekbike
The problem with the majority of gay men is they love mass muderers and criminals. For some reason they love to idolize the worst in humanity. I guess when you’re too pathetic and disgusting to get a nice guy you have to settle for the worst.
Brian
Liza and Cher are mass murderers?
Brian
Another chilling new detail? Supposedly Jussie is refusing to give the police his phone so they can verify the manager’s claim that he was on the phone with him.
Also, if the men were hanging outside his building waiting for him, why did they follow him to a much more public place before attacking him?
Stefan
Many questionable details about his and his manager’s account of details are starting to emerge. Making police take off body cams, not turning over his phone to verify he was on the phone with manager at the time of the attack, only 60 seconds of surveillance footage, etc etc. For good reporting on this story check out our local reporter Rob Elgas. Also, Chicago is not MAGA country by any means.
Chrisk
Actually that’s quite amazing. I would expect the police to want to see my phone if I myself had made it part of the story. Not to mention doing everything I could to to help the police nab these attackers.
AlanBap62
I cannot believe a lot of the comments made here! It reminds me of the times when women who were raped used to be blamed for being raped! The victim is being accused for doing something wrong, and there is something very wrong with that! If more people do not wake up and become aware of the fact that racism and homophobia and all sorts of prejudice has existed in this country, causing so much hurt and bloodshed for so long, then more incidents like this will continue to happen. And more deaths will follow. Trump and his MAGA disciples bring out the worst in people. This isn’t the time to grill the victim.
Chrisk
You’re absolutely right Alan. We should never question a story that’s got more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
Brian
This story has so many holes it would literally kill Sarah Paulson’s AHS Cult character.
Trekbike
I absolutely agree with you!! I question the mind set of people who are quick to blame the victim. I wonder if it’s out of fear. I consider anyone who blames the victim first a nazi to the core. Which would include the vast majority of gay men. Bastards!!!!!
Tony1129
100% agreed.
iamru2
It has not been confirmed that he is a victim yet.
Greg
Do you think he beat himself up? For what reason? Publicity? To make MAGA people look bad?
Brian
He had a tiny scratch under his eye, so no, he obviously didn’t beat himself up. Do you think the could be attacked as violently as he claimed and have his face emerge almost completely unscathed?
OzJosh
And a broken rib! Verified by doctors.
Brian
Was it verified by doctors? Because I’m pretty sure that would be a major HIIPA violation to make his medical information public.
thomes
@ozjosh that is false. Police said today they have received no medical documentation of bruised or broken ribs
Greg
Jussie? I thought it was Jessie? Was his name supposed to be Jessie? I’ve never heard of Jussie before.
Dave in Northridge
@Brian @ChrisK @Stefan @Vince @Trekbike and especially @Ajdy What’s your motivation for this kind of cynicism? And WTF is wrong with being out at 2 AM?
Brian
Logic? Reasoning abilities? Common sense? I’ll tell you what, if you can give a reasonable explanation to even one of the questions we’re asking (AKA being cynical about) I’ll stop.
Hell, even Queerty finally started using the words “alleged” and “reportedly” in reporting on this. Yesterday it was an unqualified attempted lynching in their eyes. If they’re starting to show doubt, the writing is on the wall.
Keebler ILF
I know it’s cold in Chicago so I understand people walking around with ski masks, but who is walking around carrying ropes. If everything he said is true, sounds to me like they were stalking and planning the attack. If this was a restaurant that Jussie frequented, maybe the police should look at video from days prior to the attack. If they were stalking him, they might also show up on older footage.
Even though Taraji P. Henson, the actress who plays Jussie’s mother on Empire, is about to make a movie playing the mother of another African American victim of a hate crime, Emmett Till, I don’t think this was a publicity stunt.
Let’s just wait and see what happens with the investigation.
TalonsPryde
Can we get a confirmation other than TMZ for the phrase “This is MAGA country”? From what I heard, the Chicago police deny that this was said. Please get this verified either way. TMZ is known for exaggerations.
thomes
originally Jussie did not mention the phrase. after police saw it being reported online they interviewed Jussie again and he said the phrase was used. He also said he was on the phone with his music manager during the attack and he confirmed he heard it over the phone
MarathonBoy
I say again: let’s wait for all the evidence to come in. In the last 24 hours, we have had developments both supporting and casting doubt on his credibility.
The neighbor’s statement seems to offer some indirect support, although I can’t find any news report which states whether her description of t he guy’s clothing and the rope matches Jussie’s description of their clothing or the actual appearance of the rope that was recovered. On the other side of the equation, apparently Jussie is refusing to allow police to look at his phone. That’s not a good sign.
thomes
Police said earlier today that the neighbors description is “significantly different” than the description the victim gave
Brian
How does the neighbor claiming to have seen 2 men, who clearly are nowhere to be found on his building’s security cameras, help support his story? It’s just another piece of evidence pointing to the fact that they don’t exist, not that they do.
MarathonBoy
@Brian – The picture of the 2 guys is separate from the neighbor’s input. I don’t assign any value either way to the photo of 2 figures walking. It neither supports or discredits the story. The neighbor claimed to see a white guy who looks like a “redneck” hanging around the apartment building with a rope hanging out of his pocket. This was about 2 hours before the attack, which allegedly occurred elsewhere. I count that as a little bit of support for Jussie’s claim, although if her description of the rope in the guy’s pocket doesn’t match the actual rope, then it’s not much support.
thomes
not going to pretend to know what happened but Queerty should do better research. Police have said that they have received no medical documents that have shown broken or bruised ribs. They also have said they are testing his sweatshirt but cannot say that bleached was used. Also they said the neighbors description of suspicious men is “significantly different” from Jussie’s description of his attackers.
ChiHockeyGuy
There are several problematic things that are concerning about Jussie Smollett’s allegations:
(1.) Police have documented that Smollett’s torso was covered with road salt; this and the cut on his face are consistent with a fall on stairs that are nearby to where the friend’s apartment is located. These are the giant staircases (going 2 stories up) at the end of E. Illinois street by the building that has the Whole Foods/Planet Fitness (near NBC Tower). Those steps are slippery in snow/icy conditions. You can either walk up the stairs to get to Michigan Avenue or continue walking west on E. Illinois and go under Michigan Avenue through a tunnel that has access to the loading docks and basement entrances of the hotels/apartment buildings. The video that ABC7 did for this story had tons of footage of those underground areas, which makes it seem like Smollett has either admitted to being down there or the police have figured out he was down there via the CCTV cameras. He could have fallen on the steps and hurt himself and then gone down through the underground area into the basement of the apartment building. Police have not said what entrance he used.
(2.) The neighbor who came out and said she saw “a redneck” smoking outside the building an hour and a half before Smollett’s alleged attack sounds like a Gladys Kravitz type (the neighbor from Bewitched who would see things). The man she described smoking and being “a redneck” (pejorative term?) is nothing like either of the men that Smollett described as his attackers. This feels like someone who wants to involve herself in a story involving a celebrity.
(3.) People who don’t live here might not understand Chicago psychology. We are not LA or NYC or even DC where celebrities are common. There is a different response to famous people here, ranging from “Who Cares?” to “That’s cool” to “I want to be part of the story!”. I feel like the Neighbor Lady wants to be part of the story. It’s hard to imagine two attackers combing the city looking for a celebrity to beat up. It’s even less likely they would be out looking for Jussie Smollett. Empire films in Chicago (as well as Shameless and all those Chicago PD/FIRE/MED/ETC shows on NBC) and people are used to filming location notices and seeing these actors. I have never seen anyone terribly excited about seeing these people out and about and have never heard of anyone with any malice towards anyone. Most people are “Who Cares?” about celebrities downtown.
(4) The Streeterville neighborhood where this happened is kind of off the beaten path. It feels like a different city apart from Chicago. It’s east of Michigan Avenue and it’s lower than Michigan Ave…you have to take those giant stairs down to it or walk several blocks north to get to a street like Ohio that goes all the way down to street level in Streeterville. It’s super windy down there because it’s got the lake to the east and the Chicago River to the south. Northwestern Hospital is there and lots of fancy hotels and giant condo and apartment towers with restaurants on the first floors. It’s pretty deserted late at night. Not a lot of foot traffic. There are cameras everywhere down there. It is a place that discourages crime by that fact alone but also because if someone was out looking to attack people, you’d think they would go to a place that had more people (possible victims) and had less cameras and modern buildings (the more run-down parts of town would seem like an easier place to commit crimes).
(5.) No one seems to be able to answer if this was supposedly done by people who intended to get Smollett specifically (a stalker…but how did the stalker know where to find him at his friend’s house or at Subway) or if this is supposed to have been random attackers (who happened to be carrying around bleach and rope at 2am in a deserted part of the city).
(6.) Bleach freezes at 20F. It was much colder than that on Monday night 1/28 (into early Tuesday 1/29). Where was the bleach that it didn’t freeze? The rope was supposedly clothesline and not rope. Sounds like bleach and clothesline would both be in a laundry room. Was there a laundry room at the apartment where Smollett is staying with the friend? Is the clothesline missing and was there bleach in that room?
(7.) Now the manager says he was on the phone with Smolllett and heard the whole thing. But he didn’t call the cops for 40 minutes after the “attack.” So, your client is being attacked on the street (allegedly) and you do nothing for 40 minutes? Sounds strange. FOIA requests are being made to get the recording of that call to the police to see what was said and who made the call. The police have not released them yet but the local media have asked for that. It will be interesting to hear what was said when this was initially reported.
(8.) Smollett told the police to turn off their body cams when speaking to him and he refuse to allow them access to his phone to verify if he was talking to the manager. Seems unusual that someone who allegedly just went through a horrific ordeal would have the presence of mind to instruct the police to turn off their body cams. If he really was attacked, seems like he would want to do everything he can to help the police catch these attackers. Not sure what he gains from telling police to turn off body cams and also refusing to cooperate with request for his phone if he is telling the truth about his attack.
(9.) Smollett has a history of writing some really negative things about Trump on his social media. This alleged attack he is claiming sure comes soon after the Covington Catholic story was proved to be false. The media wanted the Covington boys to be evil MAGA-wearing monsters and when the truth came out, the media and everyone who bought into its story looked stupid. It’s not hard to imagine someone who hates the president and hates his supporters to be upset that the Covington story was not true. Sometimes, people are so desperate to be proven “right” about something (i.e., the hatred of the MAGA supporters is justified) that they invent a story to prove they are “right.” Something very similar to what Jussie Smollett is claiming happened in November 2016 in Malden Massachusetts. A person who hated Trump and his supporters made up a story very similar to Smollett’s allegation here in 2019. That story proved to be a hoax and the guy admitted he was lying but he said that he did it because he wanted to “raise awareness” and that the story “could have been true.” Then he claimed that he lied but for a good reason. Often, people making up these hoaxes on college campuses or wherever claim they did it to “raise awareness about what could happen.” So they invent something awful and make false police reports because they see it as a form of activism.
(10.) This whole story sounds like something that would happen to Jussie Smollett’s character Jamal on Empire. It also sounds like something opportunistic that could have been coordinated with the manager after taking a fall down the stairs and being injured in that fall. Rahm Emanuel is Chicago’s mayor and he is famous for the saying “never let a good crisis go to waste.” It’s possible that someone who was upset that MAGA supporters “got away with it” when the Covington Catholic scandal was proven to be fake would decide that after taking a fall down some icy stairs he would invent a story about being attacked by MAGA supporters “to raise awareness.” It would also not hurt that actor’s publicity, especially with his TV show not being as popular as it was a while back.
Keebler ILF
Trying to discredit the neighbor by comparing her to Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched is a bad analogy. You do realize that EVERYTHING Gladys Kravitz said she saw she ACTUALLY DID SEE.
Toofie
Exactly Keebler!
kiriakis1
Wow! I am completely UNDERWHELMED by your genius analysis and acute grasp of the situation, also by the fact that you have so little life happening that you can afford to dedicate time to writing more than 800 words on this topic.
Greg
I believe that MAGA people would do something like this.
Greg
Where would somebody get clothesline in a laundry room? Clothesline is used when you hang your laundry outside to dry. I doubt anybody was upset about the Catholic school story after the hype calmed down to do something stupid like you are claiming. I’m sure that every Chicagoan keeps that saying by Rahm Emanuel on the top of their mind in case something happens that can be blamed on MAGA people. Even if Jussie fell down some stairs, how is that a “crisis”? What exactly did MAGA supporters get away with? There was no Catholic school scandal. Just an arrogant moron looking for attention with smirk on his face and a MAGA cap on his head. You have this whole scenario mapped out in your head. If you are a MAGA person, and it sounds like you are, what you just described would be something you and/or other MAGAs would do.
justyouandi
Who walks around in sub-zero temperatures at 2:00 AM with a rope tied in a noose and a bottle of bleach, in a liberal part of town, and just happen to run into a black, gay actor who has openly stated his hatred for Pres. Trump, who just arrived in town and who is from another city, so you can be prepared to express your homophobia and racism on just the most perfect victim ……. and manage to not be seen in any of the surveillance cameras in the one city that has more of those cameras than any other American city?
notchicagistani
Hey hockey guy, thanx for a logical assessment of the facts allowed in the public arena… I, too, smelled a rat with this story. I’m not racist like so many people who’s identity depends upon being part of an AMERICAN subset…. jussy has at least three subset blocks checked: black, gay and MAGA target… I agree this story is full of holes and of questionable veracity. My doubt when the “MAGA Country” ephitat was attached. Then, while looking for a more accurate source of info, it hit me: only one foto showing an injury that isn’t concistent with “a beating” and his self-defense efforts. No foto of the laundry line “noose” around his neck, no fotos in the ER…. refusal to allow police to confirm a fobe call between jussy and manager, request to turn off body cams…. Not being a bigot nor racist it occurred to me, “here we go again.” Frankly, I’m tired of these libturd twits and their constant stream of lies to discredit President Trump and the majority of AMERICANS. (BTW, thanx for the clorox freezing temperature…)