P. Diddy avoids felony charges in UCLA fight incident
P. Diddy was arrested on five charges last month after he allegedly attacked a UCLA strength and conditioning coach and swung a kettlebell at several people. Despite that, the music mogul will not be facing felony charges.
Law enforcement sources reportedly told the Los Angeles Times that prosecutors decided not to file felony charges in part because Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, waved the kettlebell at several people and no one was seriously injured. The case has now been referred to the L.A. city attorney to determine if Diddy will face misdemeanor charges.
Diddy’s attorney, Mark Geragos, says his client never should have been arrested in the first place.
“We are thankful that the district attorney rejected felony charges in this matter,” Geragos said. “This case never should have been part of the criminal justice system to begin with.”
Former L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley told the Times that assault with a deadly weapon charges — of which Diddy was facing three — are reduced to misdemeanors about half the time because of the “nature of the crime.” Dmitry Gorin, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, said the type of weapon also plays a role.
“When you miss with a kettlebell and there are no injuries, no recent criminal history and it is a parent-coach argument rather than a street crime, the totality of the circumstance doesn’t add up to a felony crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” Gorin explained.
In other words, Diddy didn’t stroll into Alosi’s office holding a kettlebell intending to hurt someone. In fact, he insists he was acting in self-defense.
The incident allegedly took place after Alosi threw Diddy’s son, UCLA defensive back Justin Combs, out of practice for dogging it. Alosi is the same coach who once intentionally tripped a player while he was working with the New York Jets.
