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Surveillance video obtained by CNN and shared Friday shows rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs carrying out a brutal physical attack on his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016.
The video, dated March 5, 2016, shows Combs, with a towel wrapped around his waist, chasing Ventura through a hotel hallway. Her video shows him grabbing her by the back of her neck, throwing her to the floor and then kicking her twice as she lies on the floor outside her elevator. He is then seen dragging her by her hooded sweatshirt.
While Ventura gathers some items from the floor, Combs walks away, but returns moments later, pushes her and sits down on a nearby chair. He then picks up an unidentifiable object from her side table and throws it in her direction before walking away.
According to CNN, the video, captured from multiple angles on surveillance cameras, was filmed at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, issued a statement shortly after the video was shared with CNN, confirming that the woman in the video was his client.
“The horrendous video was shot by Mr. It only further confirms Combs’ shocking and predatory behavior,” Wigdor said.
“Words cannot describe the courage and fortitude Mr. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this issue to light,” Wigdor added.
In November 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, alleging that he controlled and abused her for more than a decade, including forcing her to have sex with several male sex workers while recording their encounters.
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Cathy, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 years old, the lawsuit states. The two began dating and it wasn’t long before the rap mogul allegedly began a pattern of control and abuse.
According to the lawsuit, in 2018, Combs forced his way into her home and raped her. That’s when she left the relationship.
The lawsuit also alleges that Combs blew up the car of another rapper who had expressed interest in Ventura, forced her to find a male prostitute to have sex with while Combs watched, and repeatedly “hit, slapped, kicked and stomped” her. He claimed that
“Throughout their relationship, Mr. Combs was prone to uncontrollable fits of rage and often savagely beat Mr. Ventura,” the suit alleged.
In the filing, Ventura claimed Combs paid InterContinental $50,000 for security tapes resulting from a physical altercation in March 2016, CNN reported.
During that incident, Ventura’s complaint alleges that Combs was “extremely intoxicated and punched Mr. Ventura in the face, resulting in a black eye.”
When she eventually fell asleep, Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but Combs woke up and “screamed at her and followed her into the hotel hallway,” according to the affidavit.
“He grabbed her and took a glass vase from the hallway and threw it at her, causing the glass to hit as she ran to the elevator to escape,” the lawsuit states.
“If she runs away, Mr. Realizing that Combs is becoming even angrier at her and completely trapping her in a vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to her hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser.” decided.
“When she returned, hotel security urged her to take a taxi back to her apartment, suggesting Combs had been seen on security footage beating Ms. Ventura in the hotel hallway and throwing a glass at her.” I did.”
The lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed, with Ventura agreeing to an undisclosed settlement.
But at least five other lawsuits have been filed since then, with others accusing Combs of sexual harassment, rape and other misconduct.
Combs has previously denied Ventura’s claims and has strongly denied any wrongdoing in other lawsuits filed against him.
Homeland Security agents raided Combs’ luxury home on March 25, and numerous sources have told media outlets that the rap mogul is under federal investigation on sex trafficking charges.
We searched for two properties owned by Combs in Los Angeles and Miami. Footage taken by an ABC7 News helicopter shows agents wearing bulletproof vests entering a Los Angeles mansion and seizing evidence for several hours.
Video obtained by Global News at the time shows police dogs and agents wearing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) jackets searching Combs’ Miami Beach residence. A huge box of evidence was seen being loaded into a van.
Federal agents also stopped him at a Miami-area airport and confiscated his electronic devices.
Combs’ attorney, Aaron Dyer, issued a statement at the time calling the search “an excessive abuse of military-level force.”
— Includes files from Kathryn Mannie of Global News
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If you or someone you know is being abused or involved in an abusive situation, visit the Canadian Crime Victims Resource Center for help. You can also call us toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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