Mr. Smollett reported that he was attacked in January, but two brothers said to have helped him stage the incident were brought in as witnesses to a grand jury.
The Chicago police said Wednesday they now consider Jussie Smollett, the “Empire” actor who said he was the victim of a hate crime, a suspect amid allegations that he had actually staged the assault he reported in January.
Law enforcement officials said they had begun presenting evidence to a grand jury in what now appears to be a case where investigators believe Mr. Smollett falsely reported being attacked.
Mr. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, had told the police that, while walking in downtown Chicago, he had been confronted by masked white men who hurled homophobic and racial slurs at him, and announced it was “MAGA country,” a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan.
[A timeline of the Jussie Smollett case.]
The statement from the Chicago Police Department said: “Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony).
