DEVELOPING NOW! CHARGES DROPPED Against #Empire actor Jussie Smollett! 😲

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DEVELOPING NOW! CHARGES DROPPED Against #Empire actor Jussie Smollett!😲

In a stunning reversal, Chicago prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett just weeks after he was indicted on 16 felony counts for allegedly filing a false police report.

Smollett, 36, was seen arriving at a Chicago courtroom around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday for an emergency hearing. Following his court appearance, his attorneys released a statement saying that the actor's "record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him."

"Jussie was attacked by two 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 judgement," the statement read.

"Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. 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."

During a brief news conference, Smollett said he has been "truthful" from the beginning."

"This has been an incredibility difficult time. Honestly, one of the worst of my life," he said, adding that he's ready to get back to his career and life.

Smollett was charged earlier this month by a grand jury of 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for making a false report, according to a criminal complaint.

In February, he was charged with felony disorderly conduct after Chicago officers said he orchestrated the alleged hate crime in January on himself because he was unhappy with his salary on the show "Empire."

Smollett's lawyer, Patricia Holmes, slammed the Chicago Police Department for their public handling of the case and said they should "not to jump ahead and utilize the press to convict people before they are tried in the court of law.”

“Things seemed to spiral somewhat out of control," she said.

As a result of the allegations against Smollett, his role on "Empire," where he played Jamal Lyon, was cut from the final episodes of the fifth season "to avoid further disruption on set," the show's executive producers said in a joint statement on Feb. 22.

Smollett had told police on January 29 that he was beaten up by two masked men while he was out getting food in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. The actor, who is black and gay, said his attackers hurled racist and homophobic slurs before punching him, putting a noose around his neck and pouring what he said was bleach on him.

Brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo were arrested in February as police investigated the alleged assault but were later released by police. They are not considered suspects. In a statement following the news of Smollett's charges being dropped, the brothers legal team said they are "still reviewing all legal stuff."

Smollett was then labeled as a suspect in his own alleged assault and arrested in February. Prosecutors and police said Smollett allegedly paid the Osundairo brothers $3,500 via a check to attack him and also gave them money to buy the supplies they would need to carry out the hoax crime.

He was released from jail after posting $10,000 of his $100,000 bond. Smollett's attorneys said Tuesday that the actor forfeited his bond over to the city of Chicago.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said Tuesday that after reviewing the case, Smollett's volunteer service and his willingness to turn his bond over to the city, "we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case."

His family celebrated the decision, saying in a statement that "truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated."

"Our son and brother is an innocent man whose name and character has been unjustly smeared," the family said. "Jussie is a son, a brother, a partner, a champion for human rights, and a genuine soul who would never be capable of what he was falsely accused of."

The actor and his attorneys have repeatedly denied the allegations against him. Mark Geragos, who represents Smollett, said in a statement to NBC News earlier this month that the indictment was "the prosecutorial overkill."

"This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie's privacy in tampering with his medical records," Geragos said

What''s next for Smollett we don't know. Will just have to wait and see!

BREAKING: Grand Jury Returns 16 Counts Against ‘Empire’ Actor Jussie Smollett! 😲😲

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BREAKING: Grand Jury Returns 16 Counts Against ‘Empire’ Actor Jussie Smollett! 😲😲

Jussie Smollett is now facing deeper legal troubles after a grand jury returned 16 felony counts against the actor for falsely reporting a hate crime attack against him in January.

The grand jury returned the disorderly conduct charges on Thursday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 14.  The specific allegations–“false report of offense”– are Class 4 felonies.

“Jussie Smollett knew that at the time … there was no reasonable ground for believing that such offenses had been committed,” according to the indictment.

The indictment expands the case against the actor. The counts focus on allegedly false statements he made to two different Chicago Police officers. Each count covers various alleged acts that Smollett falsely described to the officers–including that he was hit by two men, that they yelled racial and homophobic slurs and poured a chemical on him.

Smollett, if convicted could face probation to up to three years in prison.“[The grand jury] decided he told multiple lies,”. “There were going to charge him for each.”

“If you have a crime, and that crime has multiple parts to it, you charge all those separate parts.”

Last month, Smollett was charged with one count of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack last month in Streeterville.

Smollett, who is black and openly gay, had told police he was attacked as he was walking home around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29. He claimed two masked men – one of them also wearing a red hat – shouted racist and homophobic slurs as they beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical on them.

Police said, in reality, Smollett had paid those two men, Ola and Abel Osundairo, $3,500 by check to stage the attack. Smollett also directed the brothers to buy the noose at a hardware store and the hat and masks at a store in Uptown. Johnson said police have the check.

Police said the two brothers wore gloves during the staged attack, and did punch Smollett, but the scratches and bruises on Smollett’s face most likely were self-inflicted.

Police at the time said the attack was a publicity stunt because the actor was upset about his pay on the show.

OH MY! #Empire Star Jussie Smollet Hospitalized in a Racist, Homophobic Attack by #MAGA Supporters and had Bleach Poured on Him😲😢! Report

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OH MY! #Empire’ Star Jussie Smollet Hospitalized in a Racist, Homophobic Attack by ‘#MAGA Supporters’ had Bleach Poured on Him! Report 

"Empire" star Jussie Smollett was hospitalized after being attacked by two men who brutally beat him, poured bleach on him, wrapped a rope around his neck, and told him, "This is MAGA country," according to TMZ and a police statement.

TMZ described the two attackers as "MAGA supporters," which is what some die-hard fans of President Donald Trump are called.

"Sources directly connected to Jussie tell TMZ, the actor arrived in Chicago from New York late Monday, and at around 2 AM he was hungry and went to a Subway," TMZ reports. "We're told when he walked out, someone yelled, 'Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?'"

Smollett suffered a fractured rib. He was treated and released by a local hospital.

We have a statement from the Chicago Police Dept. which describes the incident as a "possible racially-charged assault and battery" that they are treating "as a possible hate crime."

"Sources via The Root also claim the Empire actor recently received a threatening letter in the mail with 'You will die black fag,' written in disturbing ransom-style cutout letters,"

This is a developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated

UPDATE! The Murder of Laquan McDonald Shot 16 times by Chicago Police!

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The Murder of Laquan McDonald Shot 16 times by Police(GRAPHIC VIDEO)

The much-anticipated police dashboard cam video of a Chicago Police officer shooting and killing a 17-year-old was released Tuesday evening, offering a graphic and chilling view of what prosecutors say was first-degree murder.

The video of the slaying of Laquan McDonald was held by Chicago police for more than a year and finally released Tuesday after a judge ordered it. The release of the video touched off protests outside Chicago's Loop, but they remained peaceful as of 7 p.m.

A somber Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, in the moments before the video release, urged people to remain peaceful.

The video shows Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, getting out of his squad and shooting McDonald multiple time. Authorities said he hit him 16 times, empty his cartridge into the teen, including many shots while McDonald was on the ground.

Police union officials initially said McDonald lunged at them with a knife. The video shows McDonald holding a knife and spinning while walking down the middle of the street. It's unclear when the first shot hits him — before or after the spin.

WATCH IT'S VERY GRAPHIC!

Van Dyke turned himself in Tuesday morning, and a judge ordered him held without bond until at least Monday. He's expected to be held in protective custody.

The nearly 7-minute video begins as the squad car patrols the streets. The squad's flashing lights begin at around the 5-minute mark and at around 5:18 McDonald can be seen walking in the center of Pulaski Road.

Police approach and he can be seen being shot at around the 5:36 mark. A few seconds later, an officer can be seen kicking something away from McDonald's body. Puffs of smoke can be seen coming from the body around 5:43.

At a press conference at police headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan Ave., ahead of the video distribution to the media, Supt. McCarthy said, "In this case, we have a tragic ending to unfortunately a tragic life of a young man who was betrayed on a number of different levels."

As for Officer Van Dyke, who was charged with murder earlier Tuesday, "He's going to have to account for his actions."

Mayor Emanuel told reporters, "We hold our police officers to a high standard, and obviously in this case, Jason Van Dyke violated the standards of professionalism of becoming a police officer, but also basic moral standards that bind our community together."

"Anybody who is there to uphold the law cannot act like they are above the law," Emanuel said, adding Van Dyke "does not represent" typical police department behavior.

Proffer in Jason Van Dyke case

McDonald was shot and killed Oct. 20, 2014, at 41st and Pulaski in the Archer Heights neighborhood by Van Dyke. The city has already paid a $5 million settlement to the family for the shooting.

UPDATE: Burger King Confirms Chicago Police Deleted Video Of McDonald Shooting

On the heels of dashcam footage of the Laquan McDonald shooting released today, other news is coming out about how Chicago police worked to suppress video proving he was shot without justification.

According to NBC News Chicago, 86 minutes of security video was missing after the shooting, after police ran through and reviewed it but before any official investigation had been opened, and Burger King has confirmed that it was deleted by police reviewing the video.

After the shooting, according to Jay Darshane, the District Manager for Burger King, four to five police officers wearing blue and white shirts entered the restaurant and asked to view the video and were given the password to the equipment. Three hours later they left, he said.

The next day, when an investigator from the Independent Police Review Authority asked to view the security footage, it was discovered that the 86 minutes of video was missing.

But according to Darshane, both the cameras and video recorder were all on and working properly the night of the shooting.

"We had no idea they were going to sit there and delete files," Darshane said. "I mean we were just trying to help the police officers."

"The video by nature is two dimensional so the problem is it distorts distances, and distances and depth perception are important," he said. "The most critical problem is that the video does not depict what my client was seeing. It is not a video from the eyes of my client."

The missing video, all sides agree, would not have shown the actual shooting but attorney’s for McDonald’s family contend it could have shown events leading up to the shooting.

Now NBC News is reporting that Burger King has confirmed that Chicago police deleted that video that night, presumably to bolster their case that the shooting had been justified, by leaving those minutes ahead of the shooting in doubt. 

Burger King came out publicly and stated that Chicago Police deleted their footage on the murder of #LaquanMcDonald pic.twitter.com/VFA3unJWps

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 24, 2015

video courtesy of Shaun King's Twitter Acct
This is AWFUL!

There will be JUSTICE for Hadiya! 2 Suspects ARRESTED!

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2 Arrests Have been Made In Hadiya Pendleton Murder!

Chicago police have arrested and are questioning two people in the murder of Hadiya Pendleton, the high school student who performed at several presidential inaugural events in January.

Police spokesperson Melissa Stratton confirmed to CBS affiliate WBBM Newsradio that Michael Ward 18, and Kenneth Willaims 20 are charged with her murder. Stratton also confirmed that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called Pendleton’s mother on Sunday.

Pendleton, 15, was gunned down in a Chicago park on January 29. She and about a dozen schoolmates were sheltering themselves from rain under a canopy when a gunman jumped a fence and opened fire. Police said Pendleton was not the gunman’s intended target. Another boy was also shot in the leg and was treated at the hospital.

Pendleton was a majorette with the King Collage Prep High School band, which performed at several inaugural events in Washington.

First Lady Michelle Obama attended the teenage girl’s funeral Saturday. An official told CBS News that Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also attended. Hadiya's Parents will be guests of First Lady Michelle Obama at The State of The Union tonight!