Witnesses have embarked on their testimonies in the high-profile trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. On the inaugural day of the music mogul's federal court proceedings, where he stands accused of racketeering, sex trafficking through force, fraud, coercion, and facilitating prostitution, Officer Israel Florez of the Los Angeles Police Department was grilled about his encounters with Combs and his former partner, Cassie Ventura.
During his tenure as a security guard at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles in 2016, Florez recounted being summoned to aid a distressed woman. Upon his arrival, he found Ventura and Combs, with the latter captured on security footage assaulting his then-lover, a video that was submitted as evidence and displayed in court, according to NBC News.
"She was terrified," Florez testified on May 12, according to the outlet. "She was hunkered down in a corner, her hood pulled over, shielding herself. Her face was obscured; she was virtually tucked away in the corner. A shattered vase lay on the floor."
Florez attested that Combs informed him they were engaged in a heated argument and that Ventura tried to retreat to fetch her phone, but Combs insisted she wouldn't leave, as reported by NBC News. The former guard further delineated how he stood guard at the doorway for several minutes until Ventura exited the room.
As Florez prepared to depart, Combs allegedly attempted to "bribe" him with a curt, three-word instruction, Florez recounted from the witness stand. "I was about to leave, and [Combs] hailed me," Florez continued. "He had a sack of money and flung it at me, uttering, 'Keep quiet.'"
Later, Florez testified about another run-in Combs had with the hotel's security team, culminating in Florez pinning Combs against the wall when the musician tried to seize both Florez's and his colleague's phones.
"He approached the door, shut it behind him, and snatched the phone my colleague was holding, fearing he was being recorded," the officer elaborated. "Eventually, he relinquished the phone." Florez added, "We assured him we weren't recording and defused the situation."
During the day's opening remarks, Combs' attorney, Teny Geragos, emphasized that the defense wouldn't deny Combs' past acts of domestic violence but would uphold his innocence regarding the federal charges against him.
"We won't shy away from his past deeds," Geragos stated in court, per NBC News, "but we won't take ownership of what he didn't do."
