Police spot potential 'persons of interest' in attack on Jussie Smollett after surveillance video found.
Police spot potential 'persons of interest' in attack on Jussie Smollett after surveillance video found
Police spot potential 'persons of interest' in attack on Jussie Smollett after surveillance video found originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Chicago
police announced they have located surveillance video showing potential
persons of interest in an alleged attack on "Empire" actor and singer Jussie Smollett.
Investigators
are looking to question the men seen in the video, which was found
Wednesday, Chicago Police Department Chief Communications Officer
Anthony Guglielmi announced on Twitter.
A
Chicago Police spokesperson told ABC News the video shows two people
walking in the general area of where Smollett was at the time of the
attack. The video does not show the assault, the spokesperson said.
The
department sent out an alert out to the community asking if the public
recognizes the two unknown people, but the quality of the video is not
great, the spokesperson said.
PHOTO:
Chicago police are looking to identify and interview the two people
pictured, who were walking in the area where Jussie Smollett said he was
attacked. (Chicago Police Department)
Police
are continuing to investigate and search for the two men allegedly
involved in what they call "a potential racially-charged hate crime" against Smollett.
The brutal attack against the "Empire"
star took place around 2 a.m. Tuesday and the 36-year-old actor was
subsequently hospitalized and released, local authorities said. Smollett
has been cooperating with local authorities to find the men he says
attacked him, shouting racial and homophobic slurs at him in the
process.
In
addition to being attacked, Smollett told police Tuesday that the men
also poured "an unknown chemical substance" on him, possibly bleach, and
wrapped a rope around his neck. The rope was still around Smollett's
neck when he was found, officials said.
"As
of 10 p.m. Tuesday, detectives canvassed and reviewed hundreds of hours
of video and have now expanded the search area along the Chicago
riverfront, hoping to find video to be able to release a public
description of the offenders," a Chicago Police Department spokesperson
told ABC News early Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, thus far we have not found any helpful information on a suspect or a suspect's vehicle to be able to share."
PHOTO:
The cast of 'Empire,' Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollett, Bryshere Gray,
Trai Byers and Taraji P. Henson, pose in a promotional image for the
program. (FOX via Getty Images)
"We
are taking this investigation very seriously and detective teams will
broaden our search area and work around the clock to look for video on
traffic cameras, CTA buses and neighboring thoroughfares which could
have captured the offender's movements," the police spokesperson added,
referring to the Chicago Transit Authority. "The victim in this case is
cooperating fully with detectives and our investigation continues."
On
Tuesday, an earlier alleged threat to Smollett, in the form of a
letter, drawing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a probe
of the letter threat, the spokesman confirmed to ABC News.
The
letter allegedly threatening Smollett before the attack was sent to the
Fox television studio in Chicago on Jan. 22, police said. The letter
contained threatening language and was laced with a powdery substance
that investigators believe was likely just crushed-up Tylenol.
Smollett’s
music manager, Brandon Z. Moore, told ABC News that he was on the phone
with Smollett when he was attacked. Moore said he heard the words "MAGA
country" being used.
"I heard that clearly. I heard the scuffle and I heard the racial slur."
Chicago
Police told ABC News that they spoke with Moore, and that his account
is noted in the police report, though they have not yet confirmed it
with phone records. They added that both Smollett and Moore told them
they were on the phone together.
In
an interview with "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, "Empire" co-star
Terrence Howard said a production manager notified the cast about the
attack in a meeting on set Tuesday.
"Jaws
dropped to the ground," Howard said, recalling the emergency cast
meeting. "And then when we learned that there had been letters sent to
Fox as threats about the potential for something like this and then we
became much more frightened."
"As
far as I know, for 17 hours a day, Jussie Smollett is my son," Howard
said. "So you're feeling this helplessness, this hopelessness that your
children -- the people that you love -- aren't safe," he added.
The actor said Fox boosted security on set in the wake of the incident and offered each cast member 24-hour personal security.
PHOTO: Actor Jussie Smollett visits Build Studio on Nov. 14, 2018 in New York. (Gary Gershoff/WireImage/Getty Images, FILE)
"It
was offered up today that we could have 24-hour security. Someone
parked in front of our house during the evening, someone to drive us, or
to follow us to and from work," Howard told "GMA."
Other
members of the "Empire" family like creator Lee Daniels and co-star
Vivica A. Fox spoke out in disgust over the attack and said they will be
right by his side.
Smollett's "Empire" character, Jamal, is the son of a hip-hop mogul who initially has trouble accepting that Jamal is gay.
After
hitting it big in "Empire," Smollett said he likes to stay away from
talking about his personal life, but he did. make reference to his
sexual identify -- which has prompted industry chatter.
"There's
never been a closet that I've been in," he said. "There is, without a
doubt, no closet that I've ever been in, and I just wanted to make that
clear."
In
previous interviews, Smollett wouldn't talk about his sexuality but did
say fans and others shouldn't try to fit him into any box.
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