Chicago Police, Mayor Say Charges Against Jussie Smollett Shouldn’t Have Been Dropped

Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on 26, 2019, after prosecutors dropped all charges against him. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times/Chicago Sun-Times via AP

The head of the Chicago Police Department and the mayor of the city said that the 16 felony counts against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly filing a false police report in a hate crime hoax should not have been dropped, calling into question an agreement reached between a State’s Attorney’s office and the actor’s legal team.