Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office announced that they could not charge rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs for an alleged violent attack on his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016 because the statute of limitations has expired.
The district attorney’s office addressed the situation in a statement posted on social media, stating, “We are aware of the video that has been circulating online allegedly depicting Sean Combs assaulting a young woman in Los Angeles. We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch. 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. As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but 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.”
CNN exclusively obtained the video of the incident, which appears to have happened on March 5, 2016, at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. The video allegedly shows Combs running down a hall after Ventura. When he catches up to her as she waits for an elevator, he appears to grab her, throw her to the ground, kick her, and attempt to drag her back to their hotel room.
Diddy (Sean Combs) beats Cassie Ventura in a hotel lobby. pic.twitter.com/34IvyBsMje
— 🦍Sno™🥶 (@vrotocol) May 17, 2024
Ventura is seen slowly getting up and picking up a phone on the wall near the elevator as Combs walks back to the hotel room with her bags. He later returns and allegedly shoves her into a corner before sitting on a nearby chair and throwing an object at her.
In November, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of abuse. The day after she filed the lawsuit, Combs settled the case. Despite the settlement, the statute of limitations prevents the district attorney’s office from pursuing criminal charges for the 2016 incident. The district attorney’s office encourages any victims or witnesses of crimes to report them to law enforcement or seek support from their Bureau of Victims Services.
Diddy has apologized for his behavior.
#Diddy says he was ‘disgusted’ by his violence against Cassie at the time and ‘takes full responsibly for his actions’. Oh, really? Shutting down accusations of abuse + bribing the hotel $50K for the tape says otherwise. Power is slipping and we believe victims who come forward. pic.twitter.com/WYPubb3ea7
— David Challen (@David_Challen) May 19, 2024
