Charges dropped against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly staging attack on himself
Update: CHICAGO (AP) _ Chicago mayor, police superintendent angrily denounce dropped charges against Smollett, insist actor perpetrated hoax.
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In a stunning move, prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett on Tuesday, a month after he was hit with felony counts stemming from what police said was a staged street attack on himself in an attempt to get a pay raise, according to his lawyers.
Smollett appeared at an an emergency court hearing in Chicago Tuesday, where prosecutors told a judge they were dismissing the charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report against the 36-year-old actor.
Smollett’s lawyers, Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes, released a statement confirming that all charges had been dropped.
“Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,” the defense attorneys said in a statement. “Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement.”
The attorneys added, “Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.
They said Smollett “is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.”
Smollett told police that on Jan. 29, he was walking on a street near his apartment around 2 a.m. when he was set upon by two men. The attackers allegedly shouted racist and homophobic slurs before hitting him, pouring “an unknown chemical substance” on him —- possibly bleach -— and wrapping a rope around his neck, he told detectives.
