Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs cannot be prosecuted over gruesome footage that appears to show him assaulting Cassie Ventura because the incident happened too long ago, the County District Attorney's office said. Los Angeles.
In footage from March 5, 2016, obtained by CNN, the rapper appears to be taking his then-girlfriend Ventura by the neck and kicks him several times.
“If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would not be able to charge because the conduct would have occurred beyond the time frame in which a felony assault can be prosecuted,” the U.S. Attorney's Office said. LA district George Gascón. shared on Instagram on Friday afternoon.
Under California state law, the statute of limitations for simple and felony assault is one year and three years, respectively.
“As of today, law enforcement has not filed any charges related to the attack shown in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who may have been a victim or witness to a crime to report him to law enforcement or contact our support office of our Office of Victim Services,” added the Gascón office.
In her November 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs, Ventura alleged that the Bad Boy Records founder paid $50,000 to the InterContinental Hotel in Century City for the footage, which showed him assaulting her near the bank of the elevator
Combs, now 54, wrapped a towel around his waist as he tried to drag Ventura up by her sweatshirt before dropping her to the carpet, the harrowing footage showed.
Ventura slowly stood up and appeared to reach for a phone when Combs returned and pushed her, the clip shows.
Seconds later, he grabbed an object from a nearby table and threw it at Ventura, according to the footage.
Photos of the pair at the premiere of “The Perfect Match” just two days later appeared to show Ventura with multiple bruises on his arms and legs, possibly from the altercation with Combs.
“The heartbreaking video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Douglas H. Wigdor, Ventura's attorney, said in response to the video, which appeared to match the latter's allegations. suit against Combs.
“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Wigdor added.
Ventura's lawsuit, which was settled after a day for an undisclosed amount, claimed Combs used his wealth and influence to control her career and personal life.
The couple met when Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37, with Ventura signed to his music label until 2019.
Since November, Combs has been hit with five more lawsuits accusing him of rape, sexual misconduct and a slew of other heinous allegations.
In April, authorities raided his California and Florida mansions as part of an investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security's human trafficking team.
Images of the InterContinental will likely add more fuel to the fire under this probe, experts told the Los Angeles Times.
“This video paints him in a horrible light. If people gave him the benefit of the doubt, this will end,” Los Angeles defense attorney Lou Shapiro said.
“The problem here is that he denied hitting [Ventura] and then in this video he's even kicking her when she's down,” he added.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, noted that “the video doesn't lie.”
“There is no legal or moral justification for what Diddy did. He violently attacked a defenseless woman,” he insisted.
The Post has reached out to Diddy's attorney for comment.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
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