Amidst A Media Frenzy Of Misinformation, Chicago Police Arrested Two Nigerian Brothers In Connection With The Attack On Jussie Smollett

February 15, 2019 / Posted by:

Yesterday’s reporting on the ongoing investigation into the attack on Jussie Smollett got real messy when two Chicago media outlets, ABC 7 and CBS Chicago, reported that “sources” confirmed that Chicago PD investigators had concluded the assault was a “hoax” orchestrated by Jussie because he was about to be written off of Empire and wanted to save his job. According to Variety, Chicago PD have since called bullshit on those claims, saying they were “unconfirmed by case detectives“. But by the time Chicago PD got around to refuting that rumor, multiple outlets had reported on it as fact. Turns out, not only do you have to watch out for amateur Detective Latoyas #inthesestreets if you’re looking for the truth, you can’t necessarily rely on established media outlets to get the story straight either. Essentially, you can trust your momma, and you can trust the highly-esteemed journal of truth Dlisted, thazzabout it! (and let’s be honest, I’ve met some of your mommas. Eesh).

TMZ reports that Chicago PD has raided the home of the two persons of interest who appeared in that grainy surveillance video picture. The two men are brothers from Nigeria. Both men were taken into custody at O’Hare Airport on Wednesday night. The brothers’ family say they had both appeared as extras on Empire.

The family said the 2 men left for Nigeria the day of the alleged attack. This is consistent with what law enforcement sources previously told TMZ … that the men left for Nigeria and returned Wednesday night, and the police tracked their travels and were waiting for them when they landed in Chicago.

The Chicago PD then raided their house and unfathomably, CBS Chicago was able to publicly post a manifest of what was found and a photo from the raid.

Pictures from the raid show the front door busted off its frame, items thrown across the living room, bedroom doors damaged, and clothes tossed everywhere.

Police left behind an inventory list. Some of the items seized include a black face mask hat, an Empire script, phone, receipts, a red hat, and bleach.

The men are currently still being questioned, and according to CBS Chicago, “their attorney believes they could be charged today”, though they don’t say what exactly it is they might be charged with. Chicago PD has only said  that they are “’potential suspects,’ and detectives have ‘probable cause’ that they may have committed a crime” (via Chicago Tribune).

As to the hoax rumors, an ABC 7 Reporter named Rob Elgas was the first to Tweet-report (yeah, that’s a thing now, no actual story was linked) that “sources” said Jussie staged the attack because he was about to get written off Empire, which, what?

As of this writing, it’s been retweeted 8,000 times. Rob also reported that Jussie missed a police interview. Fox unequivocally denied that Jussie’s role on Empire was ever in danger. And the official word from the Chicago PD does not support the hoax claims. Leaky cops and suspect reporting? In Chicago? And on Twitter? Knock me over with a feather.

To illustrate just how crazy this reporting has been, Variety tweeted a headline that read “Police Believe Jussie Smollet Attack Was Staged (Report)” but when you clicked on the link to the article the headline read “Chicago Police Say Reports Jussie Smollett Attack Was Staged Are ‘Unconfirmed.’” In summation, this story is crazy, and the always-reliable (stop laughing!) Dlisted is the only news source you can trust.

And to further further prove that this story is crazier than any storyline on Empire, here’s something from the alleged potential suspects’ Instagram page:

Pic: Wenn.com

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