Jussie Smollett Hospitalized After Possible Hate Crime
Jussie Smollett was violently attacked in what appears to be a hate crime.
Sources tell TMZ that two men assaulted the “Empire” star upon his arrival in Chicago around 2 a.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 29). He went to a Subway to grab some food and was approached by the attackers as he left the restaurant.
According to the police report, the men started yelling racial and homophobic slurs. “Aren’t you that f****t ‘Empire’ n***a?” one reportedly said.
Chicago Police Department just sent out this statement re:
Jussie Smollett pic.twitter.com/DxQswZn8xd— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 29, 2019
The two white males, both wearing ski masks, viciously attacked the 35-year-old actor as he fought back. They put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. As they left, they reportedly yelled, “This is MAGA country.”
Smollett fractured a rib during the attack and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was treated. He was discharged later Tuesday morning and is in “good condition.”
Eight days prior to the incident, a ransom-style letter addressed to him was reportedly sent to Fox Studios in Chicago. It read “You will die black f**” in cut-up magazine letters.
The Chicago Police Department is investigating the incident as a battery and possible hate crime.