Cassie Ventura expressed gratitude Thursday for the support she’s felt following the publication of a 2016 surveillance video capturing then-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking her in an elevator lobby, pleading with people to believe victims’ stories.
In a post on Instagram, Ventura, who performs as a singer under the name “Cassie,” thanked her supporters for the “outpouring of love,” adding that it has “created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now.”
Ventura added that “this is only the beginning,” noting that “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”
“My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time,” Ventura urged, adding that “I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.”
“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me,” Ventura concluded.
In the hotel surveillance footage from 2016, obtained and published by CNN, Ventura is seen walking barefoot down a hotel hallway while being chased by Combs, who was wearing a towel and socks. After catching up with her, Combs grabbed her by the neck and head, threw her down to the ground, and kicked her twice before attempting to drag her back down the hallway.
On Sunday, Combs issued an apology on Instagram, saying that he “make(s) no excuses,” for his actions captured in the surveillance footage.
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video — disgusting. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he continued. “But I’m committed to being a better man every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
On Saturday, the Los Angeles DA announced the office can’t charge Combs in relation to the video. “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,” the DA’s office explained in a statement posted to Instagram.
In November of 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, whom she dated for more than 10 years after the two met in 2007 when she was 19 and he was 37. The complaint alleged a years-long campaign of sexual abuse and control for the duration of their relationship, which ended in 2018 after she claimed Combs raped her in her home when she attempted to leave him.
Combs and Ventura settled the lawsuit just one day after it was filed.
Since Ventura’s suit, Combs has been hit with five lawsuits in which he’s been accused of several abuse allegations, including rape, gang rape, sex trafficking, drugging victims and more. On March 25, Homeland Security raided the rapper’s homes in the New York City, Los Angeles and Miami areas. While there are no publicly confirmed reasons for the federal government’s involvement, the slew of allegations against him remain.
