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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Seen Assaulting Cassie Ventura In 2016 Hotel Surveillance Video

A new video has surfaced showing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016. CNN has the video, which is a surveillance video from the the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
The soundless video shows Ventura walking down a hallway in the hotel to an elevator bank, with Combs following behind soon after in a towel. Combs grabs Ventura by the back of her neck and slams her to the floor, then kicks her. He then grabs her purse and suitcase and turns to kick her again, then drags her back toward the hotel room. He lets go and goes back to the hotel room, after which Venture stands up and she goes to use a phone in the elevator lobby. Combs returns and shoves her, then sits down on a chair, grabs an object off a table and throws it at her. Combs walks away and then turns back when an elevator door opens and someone looks to be exiting it.
The video appears to corroborate claims that Ventura made in a federal lawsuit that she filed against Combs in November. In that lawsuit, Ventura — who performs simply as Cassie and launched to stardom with her 2006 debut LP — alleged that Combs subjected her to a decade of abuse while they were involved and included multiple instances of domestic violence, as well as a sexual assault in 2018 after she tried to leave him. Combs quickly moved to settle the lawsuit and a settlement was announced the day after the suit was filed.
The lawsuit describes an incident very similar to what is depicted in the video with additional information. It states that the incident occurred “around March 2016” and saw Combs punch her in the face in the hotel room after becoming “extremely intoxicated,” giving Ventura a black eye. She says she tried to leave the hotel after he fell asleep but he woke her up and “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.”
Ventura said that she got in the elevator and took a cab to her apartment, but goes on to say that “Upon realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her, and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser. When she returned, hotel security staff urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway.”
The suit went on to say that Combs paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for the security footage of the incident. Several other allegations were made in the lawsuit of other incidents.
Ventura declined to comment on the video, though her attorney said, “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.”
Combs has yet to comment. He previously denied Ventura’s allegations and his lawyer said the day the settlement was announced, “A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Mr. Combs‘ 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.”
Combs, a giant within the hip-hop industry, has faced a number of other civil suits accusing him of sexual misconduct and more. He has denied all of those allegations. Authorities searched his homes in March in both California and Florida, reportedly as part of a federal investigation by a DHS team that handles human trafficking crimes. The investigation is reportedly stemming from many of the sexual assault allegations in the lawsuits.
If you know someone who is being abused, or if you yourself a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Call 1-800-656-4673 to be connected with the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
A 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Sean "Diddy" Combs violently grab, shove, drag and kick his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an altercation in a hotel in California. https://t.co/qgD40mRPtQ pic.twitter.com/1u7qJgn3mC
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) May 17, 2024