Diddy Trial Testimony Begins With LAPD Officer Recounting Kid Cudi House Call
Diddy Trial LAPD Cop Testifies About Kid Cudi Call ... After Break-In at Hollywood Hills House
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Testimony continued for the third week in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan Wednesday morning ... with two victims, an L.A. cop and an arson investigator all slated to take the stand today, one day after Capricorn Clark's bombshell testimony.
The prosecution calls LAPD Officer Christopher Ignacio as the first witness of the day. Ignacio is asked about a 911 call on December 11, 2011, at about 8 AM, which he describes as "Code 3, with lights and sirens" to a Hollywood Hills address -- the address is Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi's house, the location of an alleged break-in by Diddy and associates, and where Cudi's car was later destroyed by a Molotov cocktail. Ignacio says a Cadillac Escalade was present when officers arrived.
Ignacio says he memorized the license plate of the Escalade ... he became suspicious by "the way it left as soon as we got there." He said they found the front door of the residence unlocked ... inside, officers found expensive watches, purses, some of which were gift-wrapped. He said two detectives arrived, and he said he saw the same black Escalade driving down the hill. Then Cudi arrived in his Porsche.
Ignacio testified he ran the plates of the Escalade, which came back as belonging to Bad Boy Records.
The defense team began cross-examination, and Diddy's attorney Brian Steel asked Ignacio to confirm these events occurred 13 years ago. Ignacio does, and says no furniture was upended inside the house. Steel asks about whether Ignacio called it a trespassing, not a burglary, but the judge sustains the prosecutor's objection. Ignacio says he did see security cameras, said Cudi was calm when he showed up ... and he's asked if he would have issued a police alert if he thought there was a gun in the Escalade, and Ignacio confirms he did not put out an alert. Ignacio is then excused.
Before the jury was seated, the judge presided over procedural issues with the defense and prosecution teams. One message in particular was brought up -- which message or what kind was unclear -- with Judge Arun Subramanian pointing out prosecutors want to use it to demonstrate Cassie Ventura's state of mind.
A Combs attorney says that's the problem with not being able to recall Cassie back to the stand. Prosecution says they'll quote the message, "He's making me freak off on my birthday. She didn't want to go." The defense counters with a hypothetical about a spouse not wanting to go to a hockey game. The judge says she could have been cross-examined about this. They moved on then and sat the jury.
