NEW YORK: Disturbing surveillance video published on Friday shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, corroborating allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit late last year.
Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterize him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims. His homes were raided this year by federal agents.
Watch video here (courtesy CNN):
The 2016 footage, obtained and published by CNN, shows the rap mogul hitting, dragging, and kicking the singer known as Cassie. In her recent lawsuit, she claimed Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion through physical force and drugs, including a 2018 rape.
In the video, Ventura leaves a hotel room, after which Combs, appearing to wear only a towel, chases her, throws her to the ground, and assaults her. “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,” read a statement from her lawyer Douglas Wigdor.
Ventura sued Combs in federal court last fall. The bombshell suit, which was settled out of court, was succeeded by a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims against the hip-hop star. Ventura met Combs when she was 19, and he was 37. He signed her to his label, and they began a romantic relationship.
Combs has vehemently denied all accusations against him. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. In March, armed agents entered Combs’ sprawling luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles, a heavily publicized bicoastal operation that suggested an investigation into the rapper is underway.
