Los Angeles prosecutors say Sean Combs cannot be prosecuted

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs will not face prosecution after newly released footage from 2016 showed him kicking, punching and dragging then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement posted on social media Friday evening.

The office later called the footage “disturbing and difficult to watch” in a statement, but clarified that Combs would not be charged or prosecuted for assault if the incident occurred in 2016.

“If the conduct described had occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would not have been able to bring charges as it would have occurred after the period in which the offense of assault could be prosecuted. As of today, law enforcement has not filed a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness of a crime to report it to law enforcement or contact our office to seek support from the Office of Human Services Victims,” the office said in a statement.

USA TODAY has reached out to the district attorney’s office for further comment but has not yet received a response.

What is the statute of limitations for assault in California?

According to McCready Law Group, in California, the statute of limitations is one year for simple assault. For aggravated assault – three years.

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The 2016 film shows Diddy and Cassie in a California hotel

The hotel surveillance video, obtained by CNN and published on Friday, reportedly dates back to March 5, 2016, and was compiled from various camera angles. The incident coincides with allegations made in Ventura’s November lawsuit against the hip-hop mogul over sex trafficking, rape and physical violence. The two settled the civil suit the day after it was filed.

The video shows Ventura wearing a black sweater, with a hood up and a duffel bag in his hand, calling an elevator to what is now the closed InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, according to CNN. From another camera angle, Diddy is seen wearing a bath towel running down the hotel hallway.

He catches up to Ventura before the elevator arrives, punching and pulling Ventura by the hair and throwing her to the ground. The producer then kicks Ventura twice while she is on the ground, picks up the bag and drags her back to the hotel rooms.

He then lets her go, pretending to say something to her as he returns to the hotel room with her bag.

“This shocking video has only further confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior,” Doug Wigdor, Ventura’s attorney, said in a statement to the media on Friday. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in bringing this matter to light.”

In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Friday, a spokesman for InterContinental Hotels Group said: “This hotel is no longer managed by IHG and we do not have any access to records or footage relating to prior incidents.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Combs’ representatives for comment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs, Cassiesettle a bombshell rape, molestation and sex trafficking lawsuit

The video shows Ventura answering the phone near the elevators in the hotel hallway. In another video, Combs returns from the room to the hallway and rushes towards the place where Ventura had just been seen.

In another shot of the video, Diddy sits on a chair and throws a vase on a table in the hall.

In the now-settled lawsuit, Ventura recalls an incident in which Diddy “got very drunk and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, resulting in a black eye.”

“When he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura attempted to leave the hotel room, but as she was leaving, Mr. Combs woke up and began yelling at Ms. Ventura,” the lawsuit continues. “He followed her into the hotel corridor, shouting at her. “He grabbed her and then took glass vases from the hallway and threw them at her, causing the glass to shatter around them as she ran to the elevator to escape.”

The lawsuit said Ventura left at one point, but because “she was in his vicious cycle of abuse,” she returned “with the intention of apologizing for running away.”

The lawsuit continued: “When she returned, hotel security urged her to get back in the taxi and go to the apartment, suggesting that she had seen the surveillance video.”

The lawsuit alleged that Diddy paid the hotel $50,000 for the footage.

Sean “Diddy” Combsasks the judge to dismiss a lawsuit regarding the rape of a 17-year-old girl in 2003

Diddy, Cassie video appears after lawsuit and settlement

Diddy and Ventura dated on and off from 2007 to 2018. In her lawsuit, Ventura, who began a professional and sexual relationship with the rap mogul at age 19, alleged that she was raped, trafficked and viciously beaten by Combs over the course of a decade-long relationship.

The former couple reached a settlement a day after the singer filed her lawsuit. The settlement amount was not disclosed.

“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms in which I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement at the time. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

“We decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best,” Combs said in a separate statement. “Love.”

The lawsuit was one of several filed against the music mogul in recent months, including one filed by “The Love Album” producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr.

Diddy’s rival 50 Cent speaks out about Cassie’s video released by CNN

Fierce critic and rival Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson commented on X shortly after the video was released to the public.