Jussie Smollett 'Did Not Want to Report' Apparent Hate Crime According to Initial Police Report
Although Jussie Smollett was the victim of an apparent hate crime, the Empire star was hesitant about reporting the alleged incident to authorities.
Nearly one week after the attack, ABC7 in Chicago obtained the Chicago police incident report via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
According to the police incident report, Smollett, 35, “did not want to report offense however he believed it to be in the best interest to,” the friend who called police said.
The police incident report also includes details about the incident that were provided by Smollett to police, including a rope that was placed around the actor’s neck, according to the outlet.
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At around 2 a.m. in Chicago on Tuesday, Jan. 29, Smollett transported himself to the hospital after he was the victim of an apparent hate crime. The star was allegedly attacked by two black-clad, masked men in Chicago’s Streeterville section near his home and was treated at Northwestern Hospital.
The Chicago Police Department previously confirmed in a statement that a member of the hit Fox show was involved in a “racially-charged assault and battery.”
“Two unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him,” continued the statement. “The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim. At some point during the incident, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck. The offenders fled the scene.”
On Wednesday, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi released an update on the case, revealing that investigators have acquired footage that could lead to the arrests of the Empire actor’s assailants. The police also released two photos of the persons of interest who were in the area. However, the images did not show the individuals’ faces.
One day later, Smollett’s family released a statement about the attack.
“We want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime. Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice,” they said Thursday. “Our family thanks everyone for their prayers and the huge amount of love he has received. We are thankful to our village for your immense support during this trying time. We are so grateful that God saw him through this cowardly attack alive. Jussie is a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed.”
Over the weekend, Smollett, who is gay, made his first public appearance since he was targeted, and declared that he “couldn’t let those motherf—ers win.”
The actor, who was scheduled to perform at the Troubadour in Los Angeles before the attack, took the stage on Saturday at the famed venue and addressed the terrifying incident.
“There are so many words on my heart that I want to say,” began a visibly emotional Smollett. “The most important that I can say, to keep it simple, thank you so much. I’m okay… I’m not fully healed yet, but I’m going to. I’m going to stand strong with y’all.”
“I had to be here tonight,” added Smollett. “I couldn’t let those motherf—ers win. So I will always stand for love, I will never stand for anything other than that. Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love. I hope that you all stand with me.”
Smollett performed “Heavy” from Empire, which he said now “has a new meaning to me,” as his Empire “family” watched on from the audience.
“In times of trauma or hurt or grief, we still have a responsibility to lead with love,” the actor said. “If we don’t, then we just die inside, and we’ve got to f—ing live, ya’ll. The hateful rhetoric that gets thrown around — I’m not going to name no names, I don’t care to… it has to stop. But guess what — it stops with the people that believe in love.”
“We have literally only just begun,” Smollett continued. “I would not have been able to get through it without obviously my family, but also the love and support of all ya’ll. I don’t take it lightly… I’m so proud of myself.”
Smollett left the stage, but the crowd cheered for an encore. After returning to the spotlight, Smollett performed “Powerful” and took the time to clarify reports about the apparent hate crime.
“Just because there has been a lot of stuff that has been said about me that is absolutely not true,” said Smollett. “There are just a couple of points that I wanted to make really quick… I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked. I went to the doctor immediately — I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in L.A. and Chicago cleared me to perform but said to take it easy, obviously. And, above all, I fought the f— back.”
