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The latest in a months-long series of public allegations and revelations of physical and sexual violence from the hip-hop mogul something he denied 100% through his attorneys when he first was accused.
Surveillance video obtained by CNN and shared Friday shows rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs launch a brutal physical assault on his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.
The footage, dated March 5, 2016, shows Combs, clad in a towel around the waist, chase after Ventura in the hallway of a hotel. The video shows him grab her by the back of the neck and throw her to the floor, before kicking her twice while she is lying on the ground outside a bank of elevators. He is then seen dragging her by her hooded sweatshirt.
Combs walks off as Ventura gathers some items from the floor, but he returns a short time later, shoving her before sitting down in a nearby chair. He then grabs an unidentifiable object from a side table and throws it in her direction before walking away.
Warning – disturbing video: This is the video where Diddy is seen physically assaulting Cassie Ventura in 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN.
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) May 17, 2024
Exclusive reporting from @EWagmeister: pic.twitter.com/08UIcYgec1
The video aired Friday appears to show Combs, who seems to be drunk wearing only a white towel, punching and kicking the R&B singer who was his protege and longtime girlfriend at the time. The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction.
Statement of Douglas Wigdor, lawyer for Cassie Ventura, in response to the video footage of Mr. Combs:
— WigdorLaw (@WigdorLaw) May 17, 2024
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has…
The security camera video, dated March 5, 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles described in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, that alleged years of sexual abuse and other violence from Combs.
The lawsuit alleges Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video. An investigator familiar with the situation said “The video was acquired at the InterContinental Hotel. They didn’t agree with with the payment and refused Combs, kicking him out of the hotel”
Cassie’s lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed, but spurred intense scrutiny of Combs, with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
Representatives for Combs did not immediately comment on the video, but he has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits, and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing and will fight to prove his innocence.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” said Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Cassie who has filed other lawsuits against Combs. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Friday evening that “we find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” but that it would be unable to file charges related to the incident since it occurred in 2016.
“As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services,” the district attorney’s office said in its statement.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Ventura has.
According to the lawsuit, Combs earlier in the evening became “extremely intoxicated” and punched Ventura, giving her a black eye. After he fell asleep she tried to leave, the suit says. This is apparently where the video begins. Ventura can be seen heading to a bank of elevators with a packed bag.
Then Combs awoke and began screaming at her, following her down the hall, the suit said.
He violently grabs her and yanks her to the ground, kicks her, and throws vases in her direction in the video.
The lawsuit says she managed to get away, but later returned out of fear that she would face greater abuse if she didn’t. As she returned, hotel staff urged her to go back to her apartment, the suit says. She would flee and hide out with a friend in Florida.
The lawsuit alleges Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video.
It is unlikely Combs could be criminally charged in the attack. The statutes of limitations for assault or battery in California run from one to three years depending on whether they’re charged as misdemeanors or felonies.
The video’s release comes as Combs and his legal team had begun to push back against the allegations that had come in a steady stream since November. They recently filed motions to dismiss parts of a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 1991, and to dismiss all of a lawsuit alleging he and two other men raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003. The court filings called both sets of allegations false.
On March 25, Homeland Security Investigations served search warrants on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in a sex-trafficking investigation. His lawyer called it “a gross use of military-level force.” The investigation is continuing. Combs has not been charged.
Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and the founder of Bad Boy Records, is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He turned his hip-hop success into a broader business empire that includes private-label spirits, fashion, and a TV network. He has had to step aside from some of his business roles since the allegations began emerging.
He and Ventura began dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade.
She became known for the hit single “Me & U,” which secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart in 2006. The song was the lead single of her self-titled and only studio album.
As an actor, she has appeared in several television shows and films, including Fox’s “Empire,” “Step Up 2: The Streets” and “Spenser Confidential.”
Sean Combs is another disgrace down. His marketing team is mitigating the damages on the media with false reports, and trying to control the press on what comes out of this. When there is a documented video. Nothing can be done. It’s 100% exposed and it’s guaranteed he can’t deny anything.
Why Wait? Denounce Sexual Assault Now!!
At The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673)
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