Diddy Tried to Bribe Security Over Cassie Hotel Beating, Guard Testifies

Diddy offered a hotel security guard a stack of money to keep quiet about the Cassie beating ... at least according to the guy's court testimony.

The first witness called to the stand in Diddy's sex trafficking case Monday was the assistant director of security at the InterContinental Los Angeles Century City at Beverly Hills Hotel ... and he was grilled about the infamous 2016 incident between Diddy and Cassie.

The witness, Israel Florez, says he got a report of a woman in distress on the 6th floor around 11 AM and checked the cameras ... and saw Diddy pacing back and forth.

Florez told the jury he rushed to the scene and encountered Diddy in a towel and Cassie on the floor. He says he told them if they were arguing, they needed to take it back to their room, and he says he noticed a broken vase on the floor and told Diddy it would be charged to the room.

Cassie stated she asked for her phone and her bag and wanted to leave, but Diddy told her she couldn't leave ... Florez testified.

Florez told the jury Diddy later called for him and was holding a stack of money ... telling him not to tell anyone about what happened. He testified that he told Diddy he didn't want the money, and the damage would still be charged to the room.

The hotel security guard testified he went to Diddy's room to remind him of hotel rules ... and Diddy opened the door and grabbed his phone, and asked if he was recording Diddy. Florez says he pinned Diddy to the wall.

Florez says he took photos of the broken vase for an incident report and recorded two videos of the surveillance footage with his iPhone, explaining he wanted to show his wife at home.

He says he had the following two days off -- and when he returned to work, he looked for the surveillance video ... but "it was gone" and he never saw it again until recently.

On cross-examination, Diddy attorney Brian Steel asked Florez if law enforcement was called, and Florez said, "they were not." He asked why Florez didn't put that in the report and why he didn't include the part about Diddy allegedly telling Cassie she wasn't leaving. Florez said he didn't put every last detail in his reports.

Steel asked Florez, "You were offered a bribe -- but hadn't you told him he had to pay for the vase?" Florez responded, "Yes."

The prosecution circled back and asked Florez what Diddy said when he allegedly offered the money, and Florez testified that Diddy didn't want anyone to know about what happened.

Florez also testified that the video shows Diddy dragging Cassie back to the room ... and Steel asked if there are gaps in the footage because the cameras are motion sensitive, and Florez said, "Yes."