Diddy trial live: Kid Cudi says Porsche was destroyed by a Molotov cocktail

Summary

Rapper Kid Cudi testifies a Molotov cocktail was thrown in his Porsche and claims Sean "Diddy" Combs broke into his home after finding out about his relationship with Cassie Ventura
Warning: This page contains details some readers may find distressing
The testimony in Combs' sex-trafficking trial comes after Ventura told the court that Combs had threatened her and Kid Cudi
Combs' ex-girlfriend Ventura has also testified that she endured abuse at the hands of Combs, including during so-called "freak-offs" - encounters in which the R&B singer had sex with male escorts while Combs directed them
Combs faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution
The 55-year-old denies all charges. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison

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Rapper Kid Cudi arrives at court ahead of testimony in Sean Comb's sex-trafficking trial

Live Reporting

Edited by Brandon Livesay in New York, with Nada Tawfik and Sakshi Venkatraman in court

Kid Cudi testifies a Molotov cocktail was thrown in his Porschepublished at 16:38 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
We’re now hearing from Kid Cudi about the incident when a Molotov cocktail was allegedly thrown in his car in January 2012.
The rapper tells the court he was about 45 minutes away from the same Los Angeles home that Combs allegedly broke into in separate incident when he got a call.
Kid Cudi tells the court his dog sitter rang and told him that his car, a Porsche, was on fire.
He rushed home and called the police.
Prosecutors show the jury photos of a damaged Porsche, including a hole cut in the roof where a Molotov cocktail was allegedly tossed through.
The photo shows a charred interior.
A Molotov cocktail bottle was found on the ground near the car, Kid Cudi tells the court.
Molotov cocktails are homemade incendiary weapons, usually thrown by hand.
'I wanted to confront him, I wanted to fight him' - Kid Cudipublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
After the alleged break in, Kid Cudi says he found his dog "jittery and on edge".
He tried to call Combs again. “I wanted to confront him, I wanted to fight him,” he told the court.
He ended up filing a police report instead.
Kid Cudi tells court Diddy broke into his home, locked his dog in bathroompublished at 16:32 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Kid Cudi tells the court that Sean "Diddy" Combs once broke into his home.
Giving short, straight to the point answers, Kid Cudi takes the jury through the few months in 2011 when he dated Cassie Ventura.
He says he didn’t think she and Combs were in each other's lives at that time.
But on a December day 2011 at 6am, he got a call from Ventura sounding "stressed" and "scared".
Combs had found out they were dating, Kid Cudi tells the court.
He took Ventura to a nearby Los Angeles hotel where he said he thought she’d be "safe, away from him".
While there, the two got a call from Capricorn Clark, a friend who said Combs was inside Kid Cudi's home.
Kid Cudi tells the court he immediately got in his car and started driving to his house, calling Combs on the way.
Quote Message
“(Expletive) are you in my house?”
Kid Cudi
Combs allegedly said he wanted to talk and told him and that "I’m over here waiting for you".
Kid Cudi tells the court he arrived at his home to find his security cameras tampered with and not working. He says presents for his family were opened and rifled through and his dog was locked in the bathroom.
The bombshell allegation we are waiting to hear aboutpublished at 16:13 British Summer Time 22 May
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court
The start of Kid Cudi's testimony has focused on establishing his relationship with Cassie Ventura.
Of course what we’re waiting to hear is his of Cassie’s bombshell allegation that Diddy blew up Kid Cudi's car and threatened him because Combs was angry the two were dating
Combs whips around to watch Kid Cudi enter courtpublished at 15:58 British Summer Time 22 May
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court
Kid Cudi sits at the witness stand wearing a leather jacket over a white t-shirt.
When the government called him as their next witness, Combs whipped back in his chair to get a look at him. Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was asked to identify pictures of Cassie Ventura and Combs.
The government went through some initial questions where he established he was friends with Ventura and briefly dated her in 2011.
He said they first met at an event in New York in 2008 but then later worked on music together. Stay with us as we bring you the latest from his testimony
Kid Cudi tells court he briefly dated Cassie when she was not with Diddypublished at 15:55 British Summer Time 22 May
Kid Cudi tells the court he briefly dated Cassie Ventura around 2011.
He says he was aware Ventura had a history with Sean "Diddy" Combs but he understood "they weren't dating anymore".
Ventura has previously told the court that her relationship with Kid Cudi angered Combs, and alleged there were violent threats made by Combs against her and Kid Cudi.
Kid Cudi takes the standpublished at 15:49 British Summer Time 22 May
Breaking
Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as Kid Cudi, is on the witness stand and is about to testify.
Diddy made Biggie Smalls' birthday a company holidaypublished at 15:47 British Summer Time 22 May
Image source, Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
Image caption,
American rapper Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls
Rapper Biggie Smalls (also known as The Notorious B.I.G) has come up several times in this trial.
Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace was shot dead in 1997.
He was a friend and collaborator of Combs in the New York hip hop scene.
Under questioning from Combs' lawyer, George Kaplan reveals that Combs made Biggie’s birthday, May 21, a company holiday for Bad Boy Entertainment.
Biggie Smalls' murder was a major moment in the east and west coast rap beef of the 1990s, as was the murder of Tupac Shakur.
- Read more: Inside the secret summit that tried to stop deadly rap wars
Combs had multiple romantic partners, ex-assistant sayspublished at 15:39 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Image source, Jane Rosenberg / Reuters
George Kaplan talks the jury through all the romantic partners Combs had while he worked for him.
It includes Cassie Ventura, a woman known only as "Gina" so far in this trial, and Kim Porter.
He describes Porter are someone who was a rung above all of Combs’ other girlfriends and the mother of his "incredible kids".
Kaplans tells the court that Combs respected Porter more, and had "an extra gauge of patience" with her. He says Porter had special treatment from Combs.
Ex-assistant still full of praise for Combspublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Combs is wearing a grey sweater and sitting with his lawyers.
Like yesterday, he’s leaned back in his chair, and occasionally sits forward to grab water, talk to his team or write something down.
On the witness stand, George Kaplan has at times praised Combs’ during cross examination.
Combs’ lead attorney Mark Agnifilo asks Kaplan what he liked about working for Combs enterprises, and Kaplan its that he still has a lot of iration for his former boss.
"I’m a young man, and this is a god amongst men talking to me," he said about his years working as Combs’ assistant. He said he still wishes Combs on his birthday, which is 4 November.
Next witness expected to be Kid Cudipublished at 15:21 British Summer Time 22 May
Image source, Reuters
Grammy-award winning musician Kid Cudi is inside the New York courthouse, and is expected to be the next witness called to testify.
We're still listening to testimony from Sean "Diddy" Combs' former personal assistant, George Kaplan.
We're likely to hear from other witnesses today too, so stick with us for what could be a busy day in court.
Diddy's trial draws in YouTubers and influencerspublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 22 May
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty Images
As we just heard from George Kaplan on the witness stand, Diddy was viewed by many as an icon.
His influence cuts across a few generations and that’s been evident in court.
In fact, 45-year-old Judge Arun Subramanian would likely have been well aware of the producer and rapper’s various hits that topped the music charts.
During one of the court breaks, I spoke with one of the many content creators and influencers that have shown up day after day to listen to testimony.
His YouTube channel focuses on wellness, diet and self-esteem.
So why did he decide to switch his focus to this trial, I asked.
He told me “Puff” had created the soundtrack to his college years and it was the same for a lot of his audience.
His channel has seen a 200 percent increase in traffic so far, he estimates.
Diddy's assistant tells court of violence on private jetpublished at 14:59 British Summer Time 22 May
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Sean Combs’ former executive assistant George Kaplan is on the witness stand, and he’s telling the jury about alleged violence he witnessed.
He described one incident in 2015 when he was on a private jet with Combs and the hip-hop mogul's then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Kaplan says he heard glass break in the back of the plane, and when he turned around he saw Ventura on the floor on her back and Combs standing over her with a liquor glass.
Ventura allegedly screamed out "is anybody seeing this">