Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was already under scrutiny; then CNN released video of him attacking a woman (2024)

Good morning and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday, May 19. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

• Risk is rising for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
• No censure, “no confidence” vote against UCLA chancellor.
• Mayor orders police “surge” on Metro.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

Famed rapper faces increased scrutiny as legal woes intensify

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was already at the center of a federal probe, with accusations of sexual abuse mounting.

Then Friday, with exclusive video surveillance footage, CNN gave a glimpse of an irate Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, which some experts believe will only add more urgency to a federal sex-trafficking investigation into the star.

The video shows Combs chasing, kicking, dragging and hurling a glass vase at Cassie, a singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura. The video corroborates parts of a civil lawsuit Ventura filed against Combs last year, which was settled in a single day.

The video is not related to the federal probe, but it is drawing more attention to the ongoing investigation.

Law enforcement sources told The Times that Combs is the subject of a sweeping inquiry into sex-trafficking allegations that resulted in a federal raid in March at his estates in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs has not been charged with any crime and has denied any wrongdoing.

Allegations against Combs have piled up in recent years. Four women have accused him of rape, assault and other abuses, dating back three decades. One of the allegations involved a minor. Combs’ representatives were not immediately available for comment but have previously denied claims of sexual assault against him.

Credibility Issues

Los Angeles defense attorney Lou Shapiro said the video adds to the jeopardy Combs is facing.

“This video paints him in an awful light. If the people were giving him the benefit of doubt, that is over,” he said.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, agreed.

“There is no legal or moral justification for what Diddy did. He violently attacked a defenseless woman,” Rahmani said, adding that the “video doesn’t lie.”

A representative for Combs did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on the video.

What the video shows

The recording, dated March 5, 2016, shows Ventura in a hoodie and carrying a duffel bag, walking in a hotel hallway toward an elevator. Combs can be seen running down the same hallway, shirtless and holding a towel around his waist.

Security footage captured from another angle shows him grabbing Ventura’s head and throwing her on the ground, where he kicks her multiple times. He can also be seen picking up her bags and trying to drag her back to the first hallway.

The footage also shows Ventura using a hotel phone by the elevators, as well as Combs going back to his hotel room and then separately seemingly shoving Ventura into a corner. He is also seen throwing a vase in her direction.

Ventura’s lawsuit

Ventura’s November lawsuit detailed the incident, which occurred at the InterContinental hotel in Century City. After Combs fell asleep, Ventura attempted to leave the room, the lawsuit said, but he awoke and “began screaming” at her.

“He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her,” the complaint said. “He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape.”

The 2023 complaint said Ventura, who was dating Combs at the time, was “stuck in this vicious cycle of abuse” and took a cab to her apartment after the alleged attack but returned to the hotel seeking to apologize to him for running away. The hotel’s security staff encouraged her to go back home, the lawsuit said, and informed her they had seen footage of “Mr. Combs beating [her] and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway.”

Sex trafficking probe

Little is known about the federal probe, including the identities of any accusers. People with knowledge of the investigation said federal investigators are seeking telecommunications and flight records related to Combs.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigates most sex-trafficking operations for the federal government. Legal experts say one reason the agency could be involved in this case is because the women involved in the allegations against Combs might be from other countries.

A source familiar with Homeland Security’s criminal inquiry said investigators have interviewed some of the people tied to the sex-trafficking allegations in the lawsuits against Combs.

Combs’ lawyers have strongly criticized the federal probe, calling the searches of his homes “militarized” and a “witch hunt.”

For more information, check out the story by Times journalists Richard Winton and Alexandra Del Rosario.

The week’s biggest stories

Pro-Palestinian protests, school takeovers

• UCLA Academic Senate rejects censure and “no confidence” vote on Chancellor Gene Block.
• Pro-Palestinian group takes over UC Berkeley building; university calls it “crime scene.”
• Congress investigating UCLA over treatment of Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests.
• Sonoma State president retires after being placed on leave for supporting anti-Israel boycott.

Transportation

• Mayor Karen Bass orders police “surge” on Metro bus and rail routes amid spike in violence.
• Bus rider fatally shot amid spate of violence on L.A. Metro.
• California school district becomes first in nation to go all electric buses.

Crime, courts and policing

• Supporters say “warmhearted” Mexican Mafia member deserves bail. Wiretaps reveal murder threats.
• Just how long should a Supreme Court justice stay around?
• LAPD seeks to fire a senior captain over relationship with 911 dispatcher.
• Watts teen attacked while eating a burger; teenage suspect is arrested.
• Secret FBI files allege former L.A. city attorney lied to feds, likely obstructed justice. He denies it.
• Ventura County high school student accused of falsely reporting gunman on campus.
• UPS driver killed in Irvine ID’d; suspect worked for same company, police say.
• “I blew it big time.” Former Facebook DEI head gets 5 years in prison for stealing millions.
• Motorist leads police on violent high-speed chase, drives wrong way on 405 Freeway before crashing.
• David DePape sentenced to 30 years in attempted Nancy Pelosi kidnapping, hammer attack on husband.
• LAUSD police deployment to 20 schools collapses after one day amid opposition, confusion.

Environmental, science and health issues

• L.A. County investigating reported hepatitis A case at Beverly Hills Whole Foods.
• Death Valley National Park visitor admits to toppling historic salt tram tower.
• Namaste away: Rangers bar yoga classes at cliffside San Diego park.
• A push to bring wolverines back to California fizzles amid budget woes.
• DNA helps identify woman whose body was found at bottom of Bay Area cliff nearly 60 years ago.
• California psychedelics bill that would bring ‘magic mushrooms’ into the mainstream fails – again.
• Single-payer healthcare meets its fate again in the face of California’s massive budget deficit.
• California pays meth users up to $599 a year to get sober.

Entertainment, sports news

• The Disneyland employees who play costumed characters have voted to unionize.
• It’s not “TV Week” anymore as streamers dominate the advertising upfronts.
• Iain Armitage was 9 when “Young Sheldon” began. Now, he’s saying goodbye to his biggest role yet.
• “The Big Cigar” dramatizes Black Panther Huey P. Newton’s Hollywood ties and escape to Cuba.
• Scottie Scheffler arrested in alleged assault of officer outside PGA Championship. He still played.
• Jason Heyward grateful to return as the Dodgers roll past the visiting Reds.
• David Fletcher, a former teammate of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani may have made bets with the same bookie used by Ohtani’s ex-interpreter.

More big stories

• California bill to scrutinize new electric charge dies in Assembly committee.
• After Assembly issues apology for California’s role in slavery, some reparations bills die in Senate.
• Las Vegas’ Mirage Resort to close after 34-year run. Volcano to go dormant.

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Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

“I relive it every night. It’s in my visions. It’s in my dreams and my waking thoughts,” says Jeremy Renner. “It” is the accident that nearly killed the Oscar-nominated actor New Year’s Day 2023 as he was clearing the driveway at his home near Mount Rose in Nevada using a massive snowcat. He was thrown suddenly from the 7-ton vehicle, which continued to roll downhill directly toward his nephew, Alex Fries. Renner attempted to jump back into the cab in order to stop it. Instead, he was caught in the machine’s track wheels and run over.

More great reads

• Inside a Gaza hospital: A Los Angeles doctor’s story.
• California’s effort to plug abandoned, chemical-spewing oil wells gets $35-million boost.
• Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) charts his process — as a writer, reader and for living life.
• Cloudy with a chance of rage: Climatologists fume over relocation of L.A. weather station.
• Column: At Homeboy, the scoop on Father Greg and his latest honor, from those who know him best.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

Going out

• ✴️ From the Griffith Observatory to Garvey Ranch and Mt. Wilson, here’s our guide to stargazing in SoCal.
• 💸 Only have $15 and want lunch in Northeast Los Angeles. Mixt in Silver Lake has you covered.
• 🥑 From beer gardens to guacamole, hot dishes and cool desserts, Santa Monica is hosting its MAINopoly, from 1 to 5 p.m.
• 🚲 Biking, running and walking is back down Avalon Boulevard at CicLAmini in Wilmington, starting at 10 a.m.

Staying in

• 📚 Our L.A. Times Book Club is recommending these six collections to read during Short Story Month, which is May.
• 🕸️ The superhero flick “Madame Web” debuts on Netflix this week, while “Godzilla x King Kong: The New Empire” is out on video on demand.
• 🧑‍🍳 Happy National Devil’s Food Cake Day! Here’s a sinful recipe for the decadent dish.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

As we walked back to our cars after the party, my ex-boyfriend said, “I have something for you,” and dropped an object into the center of my palm. I unfurled my fingers and was delighted to find a large diamanté co*cktail ring. “What’s this?” He grinned. “Isn’t this what you always wanted? For me to give you a big ring?” I laughed. His sense of humor was like kryptonite. We hadn’t been together in five years, but once you’ve had it, funny is hard to forget.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Lozano, news editor

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