Sean 'Diddy' Combs seen attacking girlfriend in hotel hallway in 2016 CCTV video

Viewers may find some of the pictures in Alex Iszatt's report upsetting

"Gut-wrenching", security footage uncovered from 2016 appears to show Sean "Diddy" Combs attacking his then-girlfriend in a Los Angeles hotel hallway.

It comes as the rapper and producer faces a months-long series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence from multiple people – all of which he denies.

CCTV footage, revealed by CNN on Friday, Combs can be seen wearing only a white towel as he runs down a corridor of an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles.

He is then shown catching up with actor and R&B singer Cassie – his longtime girlfriend at the time – before grabbing her by the back of her neck, throwing her to the ground and kicking her.

Sean Combs, known by his stage name 'Diddy' is shown running down the hotel corridor. Credit: CNN

The hip-hop mogul is also shown throwing a vase in her direction and dragging her along the floor.

The video, dated March 5, 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles described in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, that alleged years of sexual abuse and violence by Combs.

It is alleged in the lawsuit that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video.

Cassie's lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed, but spurred intense scrutiny of Combs, with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.

Combs can be seen grabbing his then-girlfriend by the back of the neck before throwing her to the ground. Credit: CNN

Representatives for Combs did not immediately comment on the video, but he has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits, and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing and will fight to prove his innocence.

Commenting on the latest footage, Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Cassie who has filed other lawsuits against the rapper, said: "The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.

"Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

According to the lawsuit, Combs became “extremely intoxicated” earlier in the evening and punched Ventura, giving her a black eye.

Footage shows Combs kicking Cassandra Ventura by the hotel elevators. Credit: CNN

The video apparently begins when Ventura headed to the elevators with a packed bag after Combs fell asleep, according to the suit.

Combs then allegedly woke, began screaming after his then-girlfriend and followed her down the hallway.

The lawsuit says Ventura managed to get away, but later returned out of fear that she would face greater abuse if she didn't. It says that upon her return, hotel staff urged her to go back to her apartment. She would go on to flee and hide out with a friend in Florida.

Due to statutes of limitations for assault or battery in California, which run from one to three years, it is unlikely Combs could be criminally charged in the attack.

Combs is shown dragging Ventura along the floor. Credit: CNN

The video's release comes as Combs' legal team pushes back against a steady stream of allegations that have emerged since November.

His lawyers recently filed motions to dismiss parts of a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 1991, and to dismiss all of a lawsuit alleging he and two other men raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003. The court filings called both sets of allegations false.

On March 25, Homeland Security Investigations served search warrants on Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in a sex-trafficking investigation. His lawyer called it “a gross use of military-level force.” The investigation is ongoing, and Combs has not been charged.

Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and the founder of Bad Boy Records, is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.

He turned his hip-hop success into a broader business empire that includes private-label spirits, fashion, and a TV network. He has had to step aside from some of his business roles since the allegations began to emerge.

He and Ventura began dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade.

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