Although tape recently surfaced confirming that Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulted his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, the music mogul will not face charges in that incident, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The LAPD told local news that the incident is past the statute of limitations, meaning charges couldn’t be filed due to the amount of time that has passed.
A statement from LAPD reads:
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.
Diddy’s alleged abuse was first made public when Cassie sued him in November of last year. The incident from the footage was mentioned in the lawsuit, as well as the claim that Diddy paid the hotel $50,000 to suppress the security footage, which depicts Diddy, clad in only a towel, chasing Cassie down the hallway, knocking her down, and kicking her on the ground.
Diddy settled the lawsuit out of court a day after it was filed, but that only set off a firestorm of additional suits; additionally, a federal investigation into sex trafficking claims against the Bad Boy Records founder led to raids on several of his properties. Diddy recorded an apology video on Sunday (May 19) but did not mention Cassie or the 2016 hotel incident, leaving it unclear to whom he was apologizing — or what for.