The security supervisor from the hotel—the site of Diddy’s infamous attack on Cassie Ventura—took the stand on Tuesday (June 3).
As reported by Complex’s Shawn Setaro, Eddy Garcia worked at the InterContinental in Los Angeles on the day of the March 2016 assault. The incident was also captured on camera. During Garcia’s testimony, he said that he got $100,000 from Diddy in exchange for the video of him assaulting Cassie.
On the day of the incident, he clocked into work and was shown the footage, explaining he “was told Ms Ventura did not request the presence of police or medical attention.”
He then received a call from Diddy’s assistant, Kristina Khorram, who asked to see a video and wanted a copy of it, saying Diddy was “intoxicated and didn’t remember” what happened.
When Garcia told Khorram she would have to talk to hotel management, she showed up to the InterContinental in person and again asked to see the video. “She said they were unaware what was on the video. They wanted to know what they were dealing with,” Garcia recalled.
That evening, Garcia spoke to Diddy directly. “He asked me if I knew who he was,” Garcia said. “Mr. Combs sounded very nervous, was talking really fast. [He said he’d] had too much to drink…If this got out, it could ruin him.”
Garcia reached out to the general manager and head of security, saying Diddy wanted to have a “sit down meeting” with them. At that point, Khorram reached out to Garcia multiple times, even on his personal cell phone, with Garcia describing that he was “nervous” and “scared.”
When Garcia spoke to Diddy, the security guard said he didn’t have access to the server room to remove the video. “[Diddy] said he believed I could make it happen. He said he would take care of me. I understood it to mean financially.”
Garcia called Bill Medrano, the hotel’s head of security, who said he would give Diddy the only copy for $50,000. “I told [Diddy] I talked to my boss, and he was willing to do it for $50,000. [Diddy] sounded excited. He referred to me as ‘Eddy, my angel.’ He said, ‘I knew you could help. I knew you could do it.’”
Medrano placed the footage on a USB, and Garcia brought it to Diddy in person. Upon meeting, the incarcerated music exec asked if it’s the only copy of the incident, which Garcia confirms. Diddy also FaceTimed Cassie to confirm in front of Eddy that she wasn’t reporting the assault to the police.
“She said she wanted it to go away,” Garcia remembered. Diddy asked for IDs of Garcia, Medrano, and the man at the hotel who saw the incident. Garcia then signed two NDAs, which said he’d owe $1 million if breached.
Diddy then left the room and came back with a brown bag of money and a money counter. He tallied $100,000, $50,000 of which was for Medrano, $20,000 for the responding officer, and $30,000 for himself.
While the Bad Boy Records founder believed that was the only copy of his attack on Cassie, that wasn’t the case. Last May, CNN shared the footage, which shows Diddy grabbing Cassie, hurling her to the ground, and kicking her twice. Diddy is also seen dragging Cassie on the floor before throwing an unknown object in her direction, and appearing to back her into a corner in the hotel.
Months before the video surfaced, Cassie filed a civil lawsuit against her ex, accusing him of rape, sexual, and physical assault, and more. Within a day, Diddy settled with her for $20 million.
