Home security video shows portions of Diddy raid
Edited home surveillance video shows a portion of the Homeland Security Investigations raid on one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' mansions last week after the mother of two of his sons released it on Instagram. (@MisaHylton/Instagram)
Dramatic home surveillance video from one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' mansions shows federal investigators in tactical gear rushing into the luxe manor and escorting his sons out as they served one of two search warrants on the mogul's properties last week.
Misa Hylton, Combs' ex and the mother of two of his children, shared an edited video showing a portion of the raid on her Instagram Tuesday and revealed that one of her two sons had retained the high-powered lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman, who previously represented figures who included cartel lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and John Gotti Jr.
"Did Justin need several laser beams from firearms pointed at his chest?? Did Christian need a gun pointed at the back of his head while he was handcuffed??" she wrote.
Tactical vehicles approach Diddy's mansion in this still from surveillance video posted to Instagram by his ex, fashion designer Misa Hylton. (@misahylton/Instagram)
Lichtman would be investigating the use of force in the raid, she said.
"The over zealous and overtly militarized force used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable," Hylton wrote. "If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression."
The edited video shows armored vehicles carrying officers in tactical gear arriving at the home and entering the compound. One officer can be seen knocking a surveillance camera off of its mount. Others swarm inside, detaining individuals, two of whom Hylton identified as the sons she shares with Combs, Justin and Christian.
Derrick Parker, a former member of the NYPD's rap intelligence unit, said allegations in recent civil suits referenced gun possession and narcotics, prompting federal agents to take protective measures when raiding Combs' properties.
"Once they had information that there were probably weapons in the house, and the drugs, that had to be careful," he told Fox News on Friday. "They mounted a SWAT team to go in and take care of that safely."
Hylton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"My son's Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman is investigating the excessive use of force which was unnecessary and certainly not required by this search warrant," Hylton added.
Combs' team declined to comment on the Instagram post.
WATCH: Home security video shows portions of Diddy raid
SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ACCUSED BY MALE MUSIC PRODUCER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
Officers in tactical gear and carrying rifles removed the sons of Sean "Diddy" Combs during the execution of a search warrant last week in this still from surveillance video posted to Instagram by their mother, fashion designer Misa Hylton. (@misahylton/Instagram)
The raid came as part of a federal sex-trafficking probe into Combs, who has denied similar allegations in a series of recent lawsuits.
Lichtman confirmed he was representing Justin Combs in an email.
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He also "liked" Hylton's post of the video and in a post of his own, he called the search warrants "over the top." At time of publication, it had been viewed almost 600,000 times.
High-powered New York City defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman confirmed in an Instagram post he would be representing at least one of Combs' sons. (Getty Images)
"The government rarely fights fair when they have a major target in its sights, and they certainly haven’t played fair in Diddy’s case thus far," he wrote.
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Combs' ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, better known as the R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November, alleging rape and other abuse.
They settled a day later without the billionaire Combs admitting wrongdoing.
Cassie claimed she endured more than a decade of abuse at the hands of Sean "Diddy" Combs. (Getty Images)
However, since then, at least four other accusers filed lawsuits against the billionaire, including three women and a male music producer, Lil Rod, whose real name is Rodney Jones.
Despite the federal investigation, Combs has not been charged with a crime and denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
Officers stand near Combs' home in Los Angeles as part of the HSI investigation. (FOX 11)
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He has characterized the accusations as an attempt at collecting cash.
"Lil Rod (Rodney Jones) is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday," Combs' lawyer, Shawn Holley, previously told Fox News Digital. "His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."
Homeland Security investigations did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
