Jussie Smollett has been hospitalized in Chicago after a possible homophobic and racist attack, ET can confirm.Â
According to the Chicago Police Department's incident details, a 30-something man was walking when two unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him. Police say the offenders allegedly began to attack the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance onto the victim.
At some point during the alleged incident, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim's neck. According to police, the offenders then fled the scene, and the victim was self-transported to Northwestern Hospital. He is in good condition and Area Central Detectives are investigating.
Chicago Police Department spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi sent out a statement to ET on Tuesday reading: "Overnight, the Chicago Police Department received a report of a possible racially-charged assault and battery involving a cast member of the television show Empire. Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime. Detectives are currently working to gather video, identify potential witnesses and establish an investigative timeline. The victim is fully cooperating with investigators and we ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Area Central Detectives at 312-747-8382 or report it anonymously to www.cpdtip.com."
According to TMZ, the attack happened at around 2 a.m. when Smollett went out to get a sandwich, after which someone yelled, "Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?" The outlet reports that the two offenders -- who allegedly are white and wore ski masks -- beat Smollett badly enough to fracture a rib, then tied a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him.
"This is MAGA country," TMZ reports the offenders yelled as they fled after the assault.
ThatGrapeJuice.Net, who was first to report the news, also published an alleged note Smollett received prior to the attack, which threatens him and contains a homophobic slur.
ET has reached out to Smollett's rep.
A spokesperson for GLAAD tells ET that they've reached out to the 35-year-old actor for support.
“GLAAD reached out to FOX and Jussie’s team today to offer assistance as well as support for him," the statement reads. "Jussie is a true champion for LGBTQ people and is beloved by the community and allies around the world.â€
Smollett appeared to be in good spirits as late as Monday when he Instagrammed his arrival in Chicago.
"#Mood after spending 7 hours on a plane for a 2 hour flight but finally landing all good," he wrote alongside a smiling picture of himself. "Love y’all. Goodnight #WinterVortexIsHurr #ChicagoWeatherAintNoJoke #Smile #troubadourFeb2 #Freedom."
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Source: Yahoo