Jussie Smollett Arrest: Chicago PD Dodges Questions About Case After All Charges Dropped

The Chicago Police have not commented on the charges against Jussie Smollett, which were dropped on Tuesday morning.

Smollett was vindicated on Tuesday morning when Illinois State’s Attorney Kim Foxx opted to drop the criminal case against him. The Chicago Police Department had accused Smollett of engineering a hate crime against himself to bolster his career, though their evidence has been called into question in recent weeks. According to a report by TMZ, the police are not pleased that the case was dropped.

Smollett was in court on Tuesday morning when Foxx revealed that the charges against Smollett would be dropped. She reportedly felt that there was not enough evidence to move forward with the prosecution, particularly since Smollett would only have gotten community service if convicted, and Foxx claims that Smollett has already performed ample community service. Smollett will also forfeit his $10,000 bond from his arrest last month to the city of Chicago.

“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” read a statement from Foxx’s office.

Police have not addressed the dropped case, though there are a few reports of where their evidence fell through. For one thing, the Osundairo brothers and their lawyer confirmed that the $3,500 check they were given by Smollett was, in fact, for personal training and nutrition counseling, not for staging the attack.

For another, the Police Superintendent reportedly claimed that the threatening letter Smollet received before the attack was written by Smollett himself, when in fact FBI investigators had not reached that conclusion.

Smollett has maintained his innocence through the whole affair, and on Tuesday morning he and his lawyers gave a triumphant address to the press.

“Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,” said the actor’s lawyers. “Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment.”

“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions,” they continued. “This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.”

The writers of Empire also rejoiced at Tuesday’s announcement, tweeting: “See y’all Wednesday.”