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Diddy Claims He Wielded Kettlebell In Self Defense In UCLA Attack
Sean 'Diddy' Combs (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for REVOLT TV)
Sean "Diddy" Combs is apparently claiming self defense in the alleged attack involving a kettlebell weight. The rapper and music mogul was arrested on assault charges at UCLA on Monday.Sources close to Combs told TMZ that the whole incident stemmed from a Sunday workout session at UCLA's athletic facility when the 45-year-old "Bad Boy For Life" rapper was watching his son practice from the sidelines. His son, Justin Combs, is a defensive back on UCLA Bruins football team. After seeing strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi go extra hard on his son and tell him not to come back until the end of summer, Combs went to talk to Alosi on Monday about his son, sources said.
That's when things got a little hairy. TMZ reports that sources close to Combs said Alosi refused to speak to Combs, but Combs went directly to his office. That didn't sit too well with Alosi who apparently threatened to call security. At that point Combs said he would call police. Sources said Alosi got upset and went after Combs with his hands, and Combs held up a kettlebell in self defense.
Other sources told TMZ a different story: that Alosi was on the phone when Combs came in, and when he asked the rapper to "hold on," Combs swung the kettlebell weight at Alosi and narrowly missed him. Sources also said that Combs threatened that he would "f**k up" Alosi.
Witnesses told Bruin Report Online their own accounts of what happened, saying Alosi "put up his hand in a non-threatening way, and instructed Combs to get his father out of the office. Diddy then walked into Alosi’s hand, and told Alosi not to put his hands on him." That's when Combs attacked Alosi and struck him as interns and personnel tried to pull Combs off of Alosi, sources said. They added that Combs picked up a kettlebell and swung it at one of the interns.
Nobody was seriously injured. UCLA police arrested Combs around 12:30 p.m on Monday.
Initially, UCLA released a statement saying that they were charging Combs with assault with a deadly weapon, but last night they updated the charges to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of making terrorist threats and one count of battery.
Combs was booked at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Reception Center, but he was released at 10 p.m. after posting $50,000 bail.
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The incident was apparently all caught on video. Football coach Jim Mora said in a statement that it was an "unfortunate incident for all parties involved."
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