Diddy allegedly seen violently assaulting Cassie Ventura in video
(NewsNation) — Hotel surveillance video from 2016 appears to show Sean “Diddy” Combs violently attacking, kicking and shoving his former partner Cassie Ventura, who filed a federal lawsuit against the music producer last year.
The footage obtained by CNN was released Friday and matches the description of a physical altercation Ventura detailed in her now-settled lawsuit against Combs.
In the video, Combs is seen running in a towel after Ventura who is seen standing in front of an elevator bank. He aggressively grabs and drags her down and then kicks her before picking up her luggage. He is then seen dragging her on the floor back to a hotel room as she braces her head.
Minutes later, Ventura returns back to the elevator bank and picks up a phone on the wall. Diddy comes back and appears to shove her into the corner. He then sits on a chair near her and aggressively throws an object at her.
CNN reported that footage was compiled from multiple camera angles dated March 5, 2016, and the altercation took place at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
CNN said that it verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotel’s interior.
“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 shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Douglas H. Wigdor, an attorney who represents Ventura said in a statement to NewsNation in response to the video footage of Mr. Combs.
Ventura had been in a decade long relationship with Combs in the early 2000s and filed a lawsuit in New York federal court last November alleging sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault and gender-motivated violence, among other causes of action.
Ventura alleged that she became lured into and eventually trapped in a pattern of abuse involving forced drug use, rape, battery and forced sex acts with male sex workers.
She settled the lawsuit with her former partner one day later, but her suit spawned several more alleged victims to come forward.
In her lawsuit, Ventura alleged Combs paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for the hallway surveillance footage from that incident. She also describes the assault almost identically to the video in her lawsuit.
Combs also allegedly faces a federal investigation.
Department of Homeland Security agents conducted the raids March 25 at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home.
The raids came as the producer faces a mounting list of civil lawsuits that allege abuse and sexual assault by multiple victims spanning over 30 years.
Combs has denied all the allegations.
Diddy has been keeping a low profile since the raids although he has been seen in Miami and the surrounding area. The embattled music producer shared a cryptic message on this Instagram account May 14.
“Time tells truth,” the post stated, which he captioned with “Love” and several emojis including a black heart, stars and lightning bolt
If you or someone you know is a victim of intimate partner violence and needs help, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.