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Investigators reveal they now have persons of interest following Jussie Smollett attack

Monica Otayza
Feb 05, 2019
07:00 A.M.

Following the shocking attack on Jussie Smollett, Chicago PD has now shared that they have persons of interest following their investigation on the area's surveillance cameras.

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Law enforcement officers have been working hard to find out who carried out the vicious attack on "Empire" star Jussie Smollett.

After watching all the available CCTV footage, they found people walking on the opposite side of the street from the actor a few seconds before the attack happened.

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Local reporter, Rob Elgas, shares that the same time Jussie walked out of the surveillance camera frame, the two hooded men did as well.

After a minute or so, Smollett reappears on the camera with what seems to be street salt on his sweater, as well as a rope around his neck. He is then seen limping to his friend's place where he was questioned by the police.

Although the screenshot of the surveillance video does not clearly show the features of these "persons of interest," the police confirmed that their whereabouts prior to the attack has made them possible suspects or witnesses to the crime.

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They were seen walking on New Street, near the intersection of E. Illinois street between 1:30-1:45 AM. That is a block away from the Subway restaurant that Jussie visited, and halfway between the fast-food outlet and Jussie's apartment.

Law enforcement agents shared that they have not seen the two men around the same area since the attack. However, they've made it clear that they want to talk to these two men to determine whether or not they witnessed or were involved in the incident.

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Chicago PD will be releasing photos of the potential perpetrators in hopes that the public might recognize them.

The department has been careful not to call the people "suspects" in the case, as this might scare community members away from showing themselves to the public and the police.

Jussie Smollett had just arrived from a red-eye flight from New York when he decided to grab a bite at a nearby Subway.

However, just a few meters away from his home, he was attacked by two unknown men which left him severely injured.

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The two men, both white, wore ski masks, viciously attacked Jussie. The men beat him up, fracturing Jussie's rib.

They then put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. After they were satisfied, they yelled "This is MAGA country" and left.

Right after calling the cops and giving the statement, Jussie took himself to the Northwestern Memorial where he received treatment. After stabilizing him, he was discharged on Tuesday morning.

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Jussie Smollett is an actor on the hit-show "Empire," where he plays the dashing Jamal Lyon, the son of hip-hop mogul Lucious and his wife Cookie. In the show, Jussie's character is an aspiring R&B artist, who slowly tries to embrace the spotlight with his mom managing his career.

With a few episodes left in the current season, Jussie and the rest of the "Empire" cast were supposed to film in Chicago until the attack happened.

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