Chicago, IL
Bodycam video shows Jussie Smollett being taken into custody at Cook County Jail
There are video and audio recordings of the entire thing. One sheriff’s deputy is heard reassuring Smollett he’s “in protected fingers.”
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Authorities took the weird step after Smollett instructed he won’t be protected whereas in jail.
After Smollett was sentenced on March 10, he yelled, “I’m not suicidal!” His outburst was heard by hundreds of thousands, however what occurred subsequent is simply being seen now.
A staff of sheriff’s deputies escorted Smollett to jail. Video and audio from a pair of body-worn cameras reveals what seems to be just like the opening scene of a jail film.
The I-Group obtained the video underneath a Freedom of Data Act submitting. Simply minutes from his 150-day sentence for mendacity a couple of hate crime he made up and staged, Smollett is searched after which led by means of a protracted tunnel between court docket and jail, by deputies who say they do that every so often.
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“Mr. Smollett, we’re the ERT staff, the Emergency Response Group, we deal with all of the high-profile guys, we dealt with R. Kelly when he was right here,” one deputy stated.
“The truth that he had made false accusations in opposition to folks previously and being a high-profile goal, these two parts of the scenario I feel would have documented this sort of video and audio recording of the occasions,” former deputy U.S. Marshal Ed Farrell informed the I-Group.
WATCH | Key moments in Jussie Smollett case
Farrell has arrested a whole lot of legal suspects and says having audio of how Smollett was handled is essential.
“You are documenting each side, audio and visible, which provides a greater recording to the general public to make sure that they’ve transparency with what transpired,” stated Farrell.
At one level, the entourage guarding Smollett stops and orders oncoming workers to get out of the best way. The video ends in a cell as Smollett is given his jail wardrobe.
Utilizing bodycams to file prisoner transports isn’t typical. A spokesman for the Cook dinner County Sheriff says they use applicable security and safety measures, suggesting that cameras had been to ensure that Smollett.
In Lake County, Illinois, jail officers say fastened cameras are utilized in sure areas, however physique cameras are turned on solely in very particular conditions together with medical emergencies or non-compliance.
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