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The authorities in United States’ Los Angeles refused to pursue a case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs over physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura.
The 2016 footage, which was obtained and published by CNN, showed Combs hitting, dragging and kicking the singer known as Cassie, who in her recent lawsuit said Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs.
Reacting to the video, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in a statement said that the office was 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,” it added.
Additionally, the DA office said that it had not received a case related to the attack.
In the video, Ventura leaves a hotel room after which Combs, appearing to wear only a towel, chases her before throwing her to the ground and assaulting her.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour 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.
Casandra Ventura sued Combs in federal court last fall, a bombshell suit that was settled out of court but 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, after which 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 publicised bicoastal operation that suggested an investigation into the rapper is underway.