Video shows Sean 'Diddy' Combs punching, kicking and dragging singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016

NEW DELHI: A disturbing security video aired on Friday shows Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016, the footage closely aligns with the description of an incident detailed in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie which captures Combs, clad only in a white towel, punching and kicking the R&B singer, who was his protege and a longtime girlfriend at the time.
The video also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction. The security camera video, dated March 5, 2016 resembles the incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles.
According to the lawsuit, Combs allegedly paid the InterContinental Hotel $50,000 for the security video. The media outlet CNN obtained, published the video and verified the location by comparing the footage to publicly available images of the hotel but did not comment on how it did that.
Lawsuit filed earlier
Although Cassie's lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed, it triggered intense scrutiny of Combs, leading to several more lawsuits in the following months and a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that resulted in raids on Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
Earlier Combs had denied the allegations in the lawsuits, and his lawyers maintain that he denies any wrongdoing and will fight to prove his innocence.
His representatives did not immediately comment on the video.
What officials said
In a statement on Friday, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office acknowledged the "disturbing" video allegedly depicting Combs assaulting a woman in Los Angeles but said that it had not been presented with a case. Even if law enforcement presents a case, the statute of limitations would prevent prosecutors from charging Combs due to the incident occurring in 2016.
"If 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," the office said.
"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," it added.
Recent lawsuit filed
An attorney for Cassie Douglas Wigdor, who has filed other lawsuits against Combs, 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," he added.
In a recent lawsuit, it is alleged that Sean Combs became "extremely intoxicated" and punched his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, leaving her with a black eye.
Video captured shows
The incident was captured on video, which shows Ventura attempting to leave with a packed bag and heading to a bank of elevator before Combs wakes up and begins yelling at her, chasing her down the hallway, the suit said.
The video footage depicts Combs forcefully grabbing Ventura, throwing her to the ground, kicking her, and hurling vases in her direction.
According to the lawsuit, Ventura managed to escape but later returned out of fear of facing more severe abuse if she didn't. As she came back, hotel staff encouraged her to return to her apartment. She eventually fled and sought refuge with a friend in Florida.
The lawsuit claims that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video. The release of the video comes as Combs and his legal team have started to counter the allegations that have been consistently emerging since November.
Other lawsuits filed against him
They recently filed motions to dismiss parts of a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 1991 and to dismiss entirely another lawsuit claiming that he and two other men raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003. The court filings labeled both sets of allegations as false.
Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants on Combs' residences in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex-trafficking investigation on March 25. His lawyer described it as "a gross use of military-level force." The investigation is ongoing, and Combs has not been charged.
Grammy winner and American singer
Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and the founder of Bad Boy Records, is one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.
He has expanded his hip-hop success into a broader business empire that includes private-label spirits, fashion, and a TV network. Since the allegations began surfacing, he has had to step back from some of his business roles.
Ventura gained recognition for her hit single "Me & U," which reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart in 2006.
Combs and Ventura started dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade.
(With inputs from AP)