Sean "Diddy" Combs has apologized after video emerged that appeared to show him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016.
Speaking directly to the camera in a clip shared Sunday on his Instagram page, the rapper, 54, said he makes "no excuses" for his behavior on the surveillance video, which was obtained by CNN and released Friday.
"My behavior on that video is inexcusable," Diddy says. "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, (and) I'm disgusted now."
The surveillance video is reportedly from March 5, 2016, and shows Diddy clad in a bath towel and running down a hotel hallway toward Ventura before he strikes her, throws her to the ground and kicks her twice. He then grabs her to drag her down the hallway. The video also shows Diddy throwing what appears to be a vase.
CNN said the video was filmed at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, which has since closed.
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In November, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Diddy, alleging sex trafficking, rape and physical abuse. The two parties settled the lawsuit one day after it was filed.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Diddy for comment.
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, an attorney for Ventura dismissed the rapper's apology video.
"Combs' most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt," attorney Meredith Firetog said. "When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. 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."
Ventura's lawyer Doug Wigdor previously said in a statement on Friday that the "gut-wrenching" video released by CNN "has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs," adding, "Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light."
The CNN video appeared to match allegations Ventura made in her November lawsuit, which described a March 2016 incident where Diddy became "extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye." The lawsuit stated that when Ventura tried to leave, Diddy "followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her" before 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."
In his apology video, Diddy said he was reflecting on the "darkest times" in his life, when he hit "rock bottom." He also said he sought professional help after the incident shown in the video.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "But I'm committed to being a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."
Since last year, Diddy has faced multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault. He has denied the allegations, maintaining in a statement in December that he "did not do any of the awful things being alleged" and that his accusers were "looking for a quick payday."
In March, Diddy's homes were searched by Homeland Security, which multiple outlets, including The Associated Press, reported was in connection to a sex trafficking investigation.
In a statement released on Friday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said that Diddy would not face charges in connection with the hotel surveillance video.
"We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch," the office said in a statement posted on social media. "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."
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, KiMi Robinson and Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY
If you are a victim of domestic violence, The National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org) allows you to speak confidentially with trained advocates online or by the phone, which they recommend for those who think their online activity is being monitored by their abuser (800-799-7233). They can help survivors develop a plan to achieve safety for themselves and their children.
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