Police Release Footage of Jussie Smollett With Rope Around His Neck The Jussie Smollett case continues to unravel, with Chicago police releasing 70 hours of video footage involving the alleged hate crime. In video footage captured by police officers' body cams, the former ‘Empire’ star can be seen with a noose around his neck. When asked by police if he wanted to take off the noose, Smollett replied, "I just wanted y'all to see." The actor claimed two men attacked him in January by tying a noose around his neck and pouring bleach on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs at him. Smollett was initially arrested after the attack had been ruled a hoax by authorities, but was later released. Most of the footage released was from surveillance cameras in surrounding areas as well as body cam footage from the police. The case has been handed off to a special prosecutor who is investigating the decision of Cook County prosecutors to dismiss charges against the actor.