Music industry icon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently facing charges at a court in Manhattan over multiple sex crime accusations. During the trial, a security guard made claims against Combs, alleging that he attempted to bribe him following an attack on Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, according to the guard’s court testimony.
The security guard, Israel Florez, was working at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, during 2016. He recalled during his testimony that a surveillance camera at the hotel recorded Combs’ assault on Ventura.
The trial, set on the day of Monday, May 12, involves several serious allegations against Combs. On this day, Florez presented his evidence of Combs’ alleged effort to bribe him subsequent to the assault on Ventura.
The video footage from the hotel’s security camera notably showed Combs pursuing Ventura in a hotel lobby. Depicted in the footage, Combs forcefully grabs Ventura by her neck and violently propels her onto the floor.
Following the initial attack, Combs proceeds to kick Ventura as she lies inert on the lobby floor. In a disturbing moment caught on camera, Combs is seen hurling an object at Ventura.
Florez, who is now an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department, shared with the court his confrontation with Combs. After responding to a distress call about a woman on the sixth floor of the hotel, Florez testified that he discovered Combs, clothed in only a towel, sitting on a chair with an eerie, vacant stare.
Recounting his encounter with Combs, Florez alleged that Combs presented him with a wad of money, instructing him to ‘keep quiet’. Florez interpreted this as a bribe offer, a proposal he claimed to have declined.
Following Ventura’s departure from the hotel, bearing the evidence of physical abuse – a ‘purple eye’ – Florez, along with another guard, paid a visit to Combs’ room. They intended to remind Combs about the rules and regulations of hotel conduct.
During this interaction, according to Florez, Combs seized the other security officer’s phone, suspecting it was being used to record the conversation. This led to Florez physically intervening and pinning Combs against a wall while demanding the return of the guard’s phone.
Combs is facing trial due to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and providing transportation to engage in prostitution. These charges were brought forth following an indictment in September.
As of now, Combs has entered a plea of not guilty. The case against him surfaced following a civil suit filed by Ventura in 2023. In the filed lawsuit, Ventura accused Combs of rape and sex trafficking, claiming that this abuse had taken place over a decade.
Subsequent to Ventura’s lawsuit, Combs reached a settlement with her. Combs was taken into custody on September 16. During Monday’s hearing, his legal team acknowledged the existence of the assault video but used it to challenge the accusations of sex trafficking.
Their argument insisted that while the video showed ‘abhorrent and degrading violence’, it lacked any evidence linking the violent incident to the sex trafficking charge. The court is currently awaiting Ventura’s testimony, which is expected to be delivered on the upcoming Monday.