CHICAGO — Police on Monday released investigative files and video showing the alleged staged attack of actor Jussie Smollett — one of the videos shows the actor with a noose around his neck.
Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi released the content Monday afternoon, which included nearly 70 hours of video and 500 pages of handwritten case notes. The release also included arrest reports, case reports, body cam footage and surveillance footage.
On Jan. 29, Smollett told police he was attacked in Chicago by two people who were “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs.”
In one of the videos released, officers entering Smollett's apartment and the actor is wearing a red and white sweater with a noose around his neck.
"Do you want to take it off or anything?" one of the officers asks him.
"Yeah, I do, I just wanted y'all to see (inaudible)," Smollett says in the video before removing the rope. "They poured some bleach on me."
"You're filming this right?" the man says. The officers say yes.
"I don't want to be filmed," Smollett says. The man asks the officers to turn off their camera.
Smollett was later charged with multiple felony counts after Chicago police said he staged the attack against himself.
Police said he staged the attack with the help of two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo. They were seen on video riding in a taxi on the night of the incident.
Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges against the actor, but the city asked for more than $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into the alleged fake crime.
Smollett has maintained his innocence and did not pay the city by the deadline he was given.
Smollett was accused of disorderly conduct, and staging a phony hate crime, to raise his profile — and salary — on the television series "Empire." Chicago police have said that they have overwhelming evidence against Smollett.
The case became an international sensation — hitting several hot button issues including celebrity scandals, race, police relations, sexual orientation and even politics.
