Jussie Smollett case update: Police Release Footage

Source: Joseph Marzullo/WENN.com / WENN

There’s a Jussie Smollett case update: Chicago Police officials released nearly 70 hours of investigative video footage in relation to the case according to ABC Chicago.

One of the videos obtained by the outlet captures the aftermath of the alleged attack on January 29, moments after Smollett calls police to file a report. In the police bodycam video, officers are shown arriving at the Empire actor’s apartment in Chicago. After speaking with the manager of the building who accompanies the officer’s to Jussie’s apartment, he can be seen with a long white rope around his neck, while his face is blurred out. He explains that two men doused him with bleach and then placed the noose around his neck.

Smollett’s manager can also be seen in the footage while he explains his concerns regarding the situation.

“He doesn’t want this to be a big deal, you understand what I’m saying,” Smollett’s manager tells the officers. “The thing that makes me emotional is they put this makeshift loop, what do you call that thing, a noose around his (expletive) neck. I’m sorry, you know. And that is what bothers me, the cut thing doesn’t bother me at all. If that makes any sense.”

Police then ask the actor if he wants to remove the noose, to which he does. After he learns that officer’s are filming, he asks the cops to turn the off the cameras.

Last week, a Cook County judge ordered a special prosecutor to reinvestigate the case after a months long contentious battle between the actor and the Chicago Police Department.

Days after the alleged hate crime incident, Smollett was accused of staging his own attack by investigators. While the actor, his team, and his co-workers vehemently denied the claim, the Chicago Police Department moved forward to arrest and charge Smollett with one count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. Smollett was later indicted by a grand jury on 16 counts of disorderly conduct for filing a police report.

The State’s Attorney’s office ran by Kim Foxx, later dropped the charges against the actor.

While Smollett faces a possible second round of charges in the appointment of a new prosecutor, his career has also taken a hit due to the fallout from the investigation. Fox producers announced the actor would not be returning to the last season of the hit network show.

We’ll have to see what awaits in the next step of this ongoing saga. What do you think about the Jussie Smollett case update?