ALBAWABA - After a surveillance tape showing what seems to be Sean "Diddy" Combs assaulting singer Cassie in a 2016 Los Angeles hotel corridor became public,
Combs issued an apology. CNN broadcast the tape. He acknowledged his "inexcusable" conduct and accepted full responsibility for it.
On Sunday, the hip-hop mogul posted an Instagram video in which he apologized for the alleged assault and expressed his "disgust" at his behavior.
"It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you get to do that," Diddy wrote on the platform. I don't offer justifications; I've reached my lowest point. It is unacceptable how I acted on that video.
There has been a steady stream of public accusations and discoveries of physical and sexual assault against Combs for the last several months, culminating in Friday's footage that CNN first broadcast.
A video surfaced online showing Combs—clad just in a white towel—apparently kicking and hitting the R&B singer, who had been his longtime partner and protégé. In addition to hurling a vase at Ventura, the video purports to show Combs pushing and pulling her.
On March 5, 2016, the security camera recorded a video that strikingly resembled the events at the InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Ventura, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, detailed this incident in a lawsuit she filed in November, accusing Combs of sexual abuse and other forms of violence.
According to the claim, Combs forked out $50,000 to the hotel in exchange for the surveillance footage. CNN did not reveal how it got its hands on the tape, but it did state that it compared it to publicly accessible photographs of the InterContinental Hotel to confirm the location.
Neither Diddy nor his representatives replied to the video until Sunday, despite the fact that Diddy has refuted the lawsuit's claims.
"I own up to everything I did in that video," Combs said on Sunday. When I did it, I felt repulsed. It has sickened me. I went out and got some expert advice. I dove into the world of treatment and rehabilitation. For God's love and compassion, I had to beg. Forgive me. Nonetheless, I resolve to improve myself daily. I am not requesting a pardon. I apologize deeply.
The Los Angeles district attorney's office acknowledged being "aware of the video" in a statement on Friday. The photos were described as "extremely disturbing and difficult to watch," but nevertheless, "we would be unable to charge because the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted."
A representative for Ventura told CBS News that the remarks made by Combs on Sunday were "more about himself than the many people he has hurt."
"When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday," said Meredith Firetog, a partner at Wigdor LLP. "That he was only compelled to 'apologize' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words."
