IL - Actor Jussie Smollett allegedly attacked in hate crime being black & gay Jan 2019 *ARRESTS*

[maggieg]

Of course, one has to wonder what the value in seizing bleach is, if just about everyone has it.

Maybe LE is able to tell what brand of bleach was used to make the stains, if the brothers didn't have the same bleach but Jussie did, its not demonstrative of guilt but its just an indication.

My thought is that they're letting us know they were able to get a judge to give them a search warrant for Jussie's apartment, they couldn't have gotten that without probable cause and bleach wouldn't have been the only thing they're looking for

 

[MyBelle]

Innocent people have landed in prison for years on victim identification. And it appears that Mr. Smollett may have deliberately misled law enforcement on the identity of the attackers, for some unknown reasons.

This article quotes Mr. Smollett a week ago, he clearly identifies his attackers as "white men".
Jussie Smollett on His Attack: "I Am Not Weak"

So far, nobody has been arrested. I do believe LE knows exactly what it is doing.

JMO

 

[Axiom88]

So far, nobody has been arrested. I do believe LE knows exactly what it is doing.

JMO

That is not true. The two guys were arrested. They just were not charged with anything, and have since been released.

 

[MyBelle]

That is not true. The two guys were arrested. They just were not charged with anything, and have since been released.

They were released and no longer are suspects. I was responding to a post about innocent people being arrested and convicted based on Smollett's description. I doubt LE will let that happen in this case.

JMO

 

[katydid23]

Matt Finn FNC -- Breaking: Chicago police confirm to @FoxNews CPD seized a bottle of bleach from #JussieSmollet apartment. Tonight police still call Smollett a victim. Suspects told detectives something that requires more detective work.

I think I better toss out my bottle of bleach from under the kitchen sink. Too many people getting interrogated over that chit.

 

[maggieg]

I hope the police are investigating the real angle here, bleach and a clothesline, could someone have been on their way to the laundromat?

 

[mickey2942]

They were released and no longer are suspects. I was responding to a post about innocent people being arrested and convicted based on Smollett's description. I doubt LE will let that happen in this case.

JMO

It looks like law enforcement is back to square one to find the perpetrators, based on Mr. Smollett's description.

 

[TTF14]

I wish this thing would just wrap up already!

 

[coffeeandacig]

Just have to say I'm really thankful that the FBI is involved in this case, even if it's just supplementary. Hopefully, they can remain impartial.

CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson must have his hands full with politicians and Hollywood's elite breathing down his neck. Probably the reason why CPD's LEO's are leaking like a sieve.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

<snipped>
"When they first learned what happened to him, they were horrified," Schmidt said. "This is someone that they know, this is someone that they work with, so they don't want to see somebody go through that. ... They really don’t understand how [police] even got information that linked them to this horrific crime, but they’re not guilty of it."

I find the quotes by the brothers' lawyer very interesting. If the police let them go based on new evidence, it would seem that new evidence did not include the brothers acknowledging that they had prior knowledge of the attack. Wouldn't the lawyer just say nothing if that were the case?

On the other hand, she says they really don't understand how the police got the info to link them. Well that is clearly not rocket science.

ETA more from the lawyer from @Gardenista post:
“My guys are walking home. They are not charged,” Gloria Schmidt said before indicating that the Osundairo’s had information about the Smollett case that was shared with police after some “coordination.”

And, she pointed out, “I’m not part of Jussie’s defense.”
CWB Chicago: 2 OUT, SMOLLETT AT THE PLATE: Lakeview brothers released by cops and feds as all eyes turn to Jussie

 

[Gardenista]

CWB Chicago: 2 OUT, SMOLLETT AT THE PLATE: Lakeview brothers released by cops and feds as all eyes turn to Jussie

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Sorry if I missed y'all posting this already, but this article is the first I've read where the police confirmed JS was on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack.

"On Thursday night, police said phone records provided by Smollett do show he was on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack."
​

Police: 2 persons of interest in Jussie Smollett case released without charges

 

[squareandrabbet]

I'd really like to know:

<snip>

4. Why were they scared off by Jussie? Remember, Jussie told Robin Roberts, "I didn't run. They did." Did Jussie have a gun?

Someone making up this story out of whole cloth, could think it was plausible that someone would believe their attackers running away with no provocation, merely because they wanted it to be so and because they were the creator of the entire narrative; thus no blocks to the imagination.

Contrarily, if I were LE and this were the story I'd heard from the alleged victim of the crime, I'd be looking for eyewitnesses surrounding the scuffle to corroborate this contention.

Which it seems LE already did, and came up empty, since except for the massively questionable "white redneck" spotting, nobody saw anything.

Because if JS didn't have a gun or similar, the primary thing that would randomly make strong attackers mid-attack "run" away, would be fear of discovery mid-crime. I.e., either (1) a person or persons walking towards them; or (2), someone or something making enough sound to make the attackers fear that they might be set upon (the cliche'd cat knocking over the metal lid of a trashcan, etc.).

I also question whether or not people in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight, would be compos mentis enough to hear anything other than the heavy breaths and grunts of their own and their victim's; so one would think the combatants couldn't logically hear mere footsteps approaching them, and would instead have to be alerted by things like said pedestrian yelling "Hey! Break it up!" or similar. In which case police would then also likely have an eyewitness. Which they don't yet have.

 

[anonypotomous]

Please help me understand.. WHO did they track on surveillance that hopped in the Uber and then to the airport? Was that a screw up then? Were the brothers even in the area of the attack that night? How did they get tracked and pulled in as persons of interest? What happened? Did they just happen to pluck 2 random guys who coincidentally knew Jussie?

——-


“police used “rideshare and/or taxicab records” to identify the “persons of interest” and to track their movements on the night of the purported attack.”

 

[CrimeDawg123]

From TMZ:

"The 2 men who were arrested, then released Friday night, in the Jussie Smollett case are pro-LGBTQ and anti-Trump, which has people on the "Empire" set scratching their heads.

We've spoken with "Empire" cast and crew, and they say Ola and Abel Osundairo do not fit the profile of racists and homophobes -- not even close. As we reported, both men have been extras on "Empire" for years and both are friendly with Jussie, and Abel is especially close to him. We're told Jussie would frequently approach the brothers on set and chat about health and fitness.

Our Empire sources say Abel especially is an ally of the LGBTQ community, and neither have ever said anything positive about Trump. They're both big Obama fans."
​

'Empire' Sources: Nigerian Bros in Smollett Case Not Racist, Homophobic, Pro-Trump

 

[TTF14]

Please help me understand.. WHO did they track on surveillance that hopped in the Uber and then to the airport? Was that a screw up then? Were the brothers even in the area of the attack that night? How did they get tracked and pulled in as persons of interest? What happened? Did they just happen to pluck 2 random guys who coincidentally knew Jussie?

——-


“police used “rideshare and/or taxicab records” to identify the “persons of interest” and to track their movements on the night of the purported attack.”

I don't think the fact these men were released means it was not them on the video and/or even that they roughed Jussie up. However, if I ask you to meet me at X place and X time to beat me up a little, and you do it because I asked you to, are you guilty of assault? Probably not.

 

[Sheenaisapunkrocker]

Oh dear..

Dave Chappelle Says He Wants to Break a Dollhouse Over Jussie Smollett's Head for "Lying"

"Even Scooby-Doo, he joked, would have questioned the veracity of the actor and singer’s account."

 

[FinePrint]

I fell asleep watching the news and thought I heard LE released the brothers and are longer suspects. Then I thought I must have dreamed it, guess that's not true! What a mess.

So if they are the ones on the video and JS has positively identied them as the attackers then this is what I think is going on:

The brothers are seen on video prior to the attack not during and not after. I think they met up with JS somewhere prior to JS going to subway. Remember JS left his apartment just after midnight and we do not know his wearabouts prior to Subway.

CPD said there is no attack seen on video (60 seconds missing from video view) I think there was no attack. something else happened where he called his buddies over to the area to help him out and a cover up (along with the director/friend on the phone) was planned. Had to explain to fans and Empire why he got a bo-bo on his face.

I'm saying that the brothers were there and involved in some way. Too much of a coincidence for his friends to be outside of his apartment on a freezing night at that time in the morning.

JS is the one who filed the report not the brothers. JS is the one who positively identified the brothers (out of pure convinious) as his attackers.

If the brothers neither beat him up or filed a false report there is nothing CDP can charge them for.

I think the brothers gave CPD the low down on what really happened that night thus they were released and JS has lawyered up!

 

[TTF14]

1. Erielle Reshef‏Verified account @ErielleReshef 2m2 minutes ago
   UPDATE: @Chicago_Police confirm to @ABC the men arrested and later released in #JussieSmollett investigation are the men in the surveillance image on scene, saying: “The reason why they were there is now central to the investigation and we can't get into that at this time.” @GMA
   

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

The brothers committed a crime but I'm not so sure it was a hate crime. What I want to know is - what was the motive? There may be bigger fish to fry in this case.

Was it some kind of wild prank that spun out of control???