A shocking surveillance video from 2016 has recently surfaced, exclusively obtained by CNN, showing Sean “Diddy” Combs in a violent altercation with his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The footage, which matches allegations from a federal lawsuit filed by Ventura, provides a disturbing glimpse into the incident at a Los Angeles hotel. For more details on this unfolding story, visit bvishome.com.
Security Footage of Sean “Diddy” Combs Assaulting Cassie in 2016 Surfaces
A 2016 surveillance video exclusively obtained by CNN shows Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in an altercation that matches allegations in a now-unsealed federal lawsuit settlement filed by Ventura in November.
The footage, compiled from multiple camera angles on March 5, 2016, appears to show the rapper, producer, and business mogul in an incident that, according to Ventura’s complaint, occurred at the now-closed InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. CNN verified the location based on public photos of the old hotel’s interior.
In the video, Ventura exits the hotel room and walks to the elevator bank. Combs, clutching a towel around his waist, runs after Ventura down the hallway. He grabs her by the back of her head and throws her to the floor. The video shows him still holding onto his towel with one hand, then turning around and kicking her.
While Ventura is on the ground, Combs takes his wallet and suitcase from the floor near the elevator. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lays motionless on the floor. According to the video, about four seconds occur between the two kicks. He then quickly pulls Ventura’s sweater toward a room before walking away.
Ventura is then seen slowly standing up. She gathers her things from the floor and moves to pick up the phone from the hallway wall near the elevator. Combs, still wrapped in a towel and socks, returns. A mirror directly opposite the security camera shows Combs appearing to shove Ventura.
A few seconds later, he sits down in a chair, grabs an object from the table, and throws it violently at Ventura. Combs is seen walking away, then turning toward Ventura again as the elevator doors open and someone appears to exit.
Ventura, who reached an undisclosed settlement with Combs, declined to comment on the video obtained by CNN.
“This heartbreaking video further confirms Mr. Combs’ harassing and exploitative behavior,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor. “No words can describe the courage and strength Ms. Ventura has shown in bringing this to light.”
CNN has reached out to Combs’ representatives for comment. Combs previously denied Ventura’s allegations.
When contacted by CNN, a representative for InterContinental Hotels said Friday: “This hotel is no longer under IHG management and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage there”.
Cassie Ventura’s Lawsuit Against Sean “Diddy” Combs
Combs and Ventura, a model and singer known for songs like “Me & U,” were in a close relationship from 2007 to 2018. The two were photographed together at the movie premiere “A Perfect Match” in Los Angeles on March 7, 2016.
According to Ventura’s complaint, which cites the altercation as occurring “sometime in March 2016,” Combs was “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, causing her to suffer a black eye.”
After Combs fell asleep, Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but he woke up and “followed her into the hotel hallway while yelling at her,” the lawsuit said.
“He grabbed her, then grabbed glass vases from the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to shatter all around her as she ran to the elevator to escape,” the lawsuit alleges.
After Ventura got on the elevator, her complaint said she took a taxi to her apartment.
“When she realized that her escape would make Mr. Combs even angrier and completely trapped in his cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser,” the complaint states. “When she returned, hotel security staff urged her to get back in the taxi and go to her apartment, indicating that they had viewed security footage showing Mr. Combs hitting Ms. Ventura and throwing glasses at her in the hotel hallway.”
The complaint alleges Combs paid InterContinental Century City $50,000 for hallway security footage, one of several allegations made in a November lawsuit in which Ventura claimed she was attacked in 2018 and suffered for many years by Combs.
Ventura, who was officially signed to Combs’ label, claims in her lawsuit that he “exerted his power and influence” over her throughout their professional and romantic relationship. According to the complaint, she was 19 years old when they met and Combs was 37, and their business relationship lasted until 2019. The complaint details that Combs was physically violent towards Ventura and forced her to perform various acts.
An attorney for Combs said in a statement to CNN on the day it was filed, “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.”
The suit was resolved the following day.
“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Brafman told CNN in a statement at the time. “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.”
Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Ongoing Legal Issues for Sean “Diddy” Combs
Since November, Combs has faced five other civil lawsuits accusing him of a range of misconduct and other illegal activity. He has denied the allegations, and the cases remain active.
Authorities searched Combs’ homes in California and Florida in March as part of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The investigation stems from many of the same assault allegations put forth in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the searches.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, issued a statement at the time, calling the searches a “gross overuse of military-level force.”
“This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” he said. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
