Sean âDiddyâ Combs: Video appears to show rap mogul beating girlfriend Cassie in 2016
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Published
CCTV has emerged appearing to show rap mogul Sean âDiddyâ Combs attacking singer Casandra âCassieâ Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016.
The video, aired by CNN, has surfaced in the wake of allegations by Ms Ventura about her ex-boyfriend and producer in a lawsuit last year.
She has not commented, but her lawyer said it confirms âthe disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combsâ.
A lawyer for Mr Combs has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
The BBC has not independently verified the video, which appears to be a compilation of surveillance footage angles dated 5 March 2016.
According to CNN, it was filmed at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
The clip appears to show Ms Ventura leaving a hotel room to walk towards a row of elevators.
A shirtless man is seen holding a towel around his waist, and hurrying down a hallway.
When he catches up to her, he grabs her and throws her on the floor, causing her to drop some luggage.
He kicks her while she is on the ground, before picking up her bags and kicking her a second time then attempting to drag her by her shirt.
The attacker is seen leaving for a moment, before returning and shoving Ms Ventura as she stands up. He then sits in a chair near the lifts and throws an object.
A lawyer for R&B singer Ms Ventura, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement: âThe gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.
âWords cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.â
The Los Angeles District Attorneyâs Office said on Friday that the assault captured in the video might be too old to prosecute.
âWe find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,â it said in a statement.
âIf the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.â
In a now-settled federal lawsuit last year, Ms Ventura alleged that âaround March 2016â Mr Combs âbecame extremely intoxicated and punched Ms Ventura in the face, giving her a black eyeâ.
âAfter he fell asleep, Ms Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but as she exited, Mr Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms Ventura.
âHe followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her. He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape,â the documents said.
The lawsuit alleged that the rap mogul had purchased the footage from the hotel for $50,000 (ÂŁ39,000).
Her legal action against Mr Combs, which accused him of rape and sexual trafficking over a decade, was settled for an undisclosed sum one day after it was filed in November last year.
Mr Combsâ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said at the time that the settlement âis in no way an admission of wrongdoingâ.
âMr Combsâ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms Ventura the best.â
Since then, several other women have filed lawsuits accusing the rapper of sexual misconduct.
His homes in Los Angeles and Miami, Florida, were raided last month as part of a federal investigation into human trafficking.
Ms Ventura formally was signed to Mr Combsâ record label, Bad Boy, and released several hits in the 2000s, including songs that featured Diddy.
Her most famous tracks include Me & U, Long Way to Go and Official Girl, featuring Lil Wayne.
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Published18 November 2023
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