In a dramatic development at Diddy’s ongoing criminal trial, Cassie gave emotional testimony Wednesday that offered a disturbing new look at the 2016 attack. Her account was as grisly as the release of an uncut, 15-minute security video that few have seen before. The clip, in which Diddy can be seen assaulting Cassie at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, has surfaced online as new shuddering details emerge. Cassie, who had already provided a gut-wrenching account of the assault in previous statements, retook the stand to tell her side of the story. Her emotional testimony also featured graphic accounts of Diddy chasing her from their hotel room into the hallway, where he violently flung her to the floor and kicked her in a vicious tantrum. The footage, previously released only in part last year by CNN, depicts these moments fully and with stark clarity, the attack unfiltered.
The 15 minutes of new footage covers the entire incident, from the time P. Diddy leaves the room to confront Cassie when the fight turns physical. The video is a rare glimpse into what happened in the aftermath of the shooting, including security footage that shows Israel Florez, a former hotel security guard, arriving at the site after a distress call. Florez testified on Thursday, recalling he was paid to keep his mouth shut about the attack and witnessed Diddy paying them off. However, Florez’s reported refusal to intervene and not contacting the police have prompted questions about what happened after the incident.
It should also be noted that Cassie’s testimony in court has been quite emotional, and she always seemed to be fighting back the tears when explaining what happened that night. She was testifying about the attack and its aftermath and how a friend alarmed by her injuries saw her after she returned to her apartment. Cassie, whose friend called the police when she saw her battered face, confessed that she was horrified at the sight of herself in the mirror. Yet she was also loath to name her attacker, so she was not ready to give Cassie all the facts. “I answered a couple of questions, but when they wanted me to say who I was talking about, I would not. So they left,” Cassie told the court. She told me she was paralyzed with fear and a sharp jolt of confusion as the aftermath of the attack unfolded. “Just in that moment, I didn’t want to hurt him that way. It was just too much going on,” she said.
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With many seeing the unedited video for the first time in the release, the perceptions of the case changed, and now there is an unquestionable video record of a brutal and vicious attack that was obscured by a previously edited version of the footage. Cassie’s choice to take the witness stand and recount the full extent of her experience in court is an act of tremendous courage as she comes face to face with the man who, for years, cast a long shadow over her life and career. The video and subsequent testimony have ignited a strong public conversation about power and abuse and about the courage required to speak up about domestic violence.
As the trial proceeds, Cassie’s emotional navigation of the legal system is a stark reminder of the complicated and painful nature of assault when the alleged perpetrator is in a position of power. As the full video emerged and more witnesses poised to testify, it’s unclear where the trial heads in the days ahead. Whatever the case, the story Cassie has to tell is going to haunt anyone watching the case closely for a long time to come, likely drawing further attention to the disturbing truth about abuse in entertainment.
