Diddy won’t be charged for 2016 hotel assault of ex-girlfriend, DA says

Despite shocking surveillance video, which seemingly shows Sean “Diddy” Combs violently assaulting his ex-girlfriend at a hotel in 2016, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office revealed it’s “unable” to bring charges against the hip-hop music mogul.

The office of DA George Gascón confirmed in a statement that it was “aware of the video,” calling the clip “disturbing and difficult to watch.” But it also explained that the attack, which happened on March 5, 2016, “occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

According to California state law, the statute of limitations for simple assault is one year, while aggravated assault is three years.

“As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs,” Gascón said in a statement posted to Instagram late Friday night.

The statement came hours after CNN published a compilation of surveillance clips featuring Diddy and his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, inside the since-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City.

The rapper, clad in just a towel around his waist, can be seen chasing Ventura down the hotel hallway, grabbing her by the neck and then throwing her to floor. The video also shows him kicking her twice as she lies motionless on the ground, before eventually taking hold of her sweatshirt and dragging her back down the hallway.

Combs and Ventura, a model and singer known for songs like “Me & U,” were in an off-and-on relationship between 2007 and 2018.

In a federal lawsuit filed in November, Ventura said they began a sexual and professional relationship shortly after meeting in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. She alleged things quickly turned abusive, with the music mogul regularly threatening her career and loved ones in a bid to maintain his influence over her.

Ventura further claimed Diddy forced her to engage in various acts with male sex workers. He also plied her with drugs and recorded some of the encounters, she said. When she finally tried to end things in 2018, Combs raped her in her L.A. home, according to the suit.

The lawsuit also outlined an incident with details that appear to line up with what’s shown in the newly released hotel footage.

“In or around March 2016, … at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye,” the suit read.

“After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but as she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms. Ventura,” the documents stated. “He followed her into the hallway while yelling at her. He grabbed her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw then at her, causing glass to shatter around them as she ran to the elevator to escape.”

The suit also claimed Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security footage from the incident.

A day after the suit was filed, Ventura revealed she and her ex-boyfriend had reached a settlement in the case.

On Friday, former CIA and FBI special agent Tracy Walder told People the suit was settled “so quickly” all because of that surveillance video.

“Diddy never expected the video to get out,” she said.

Multiple women, as well as male producer Rodney Jones, have since claimed they too had been victims of Combs’ sexual harassment, sexual assault and drugging.

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