Rapper Kid Cudi says his car was set on fire weeks after Sean 'Diddy' Combs broke into his home

NEW YORK — Rapper Kid Cudi testified Thursday that Sean ''Diddy'' Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after finding out he was dating Combs' ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, and said he was sure Combs was behind the firebombing of his car weeks later.

Speaking at Combs' federal sex trafficking trial in Manhattan, Cudi said that while he and Cassie were briefly dating, he took her to a West Hollywood hotel in order to get her away from the seething Combs. While there, he said, he got a call from Combs' assistant Capricorn Clark. She told him Combs and an affiliate were in Cudi's house and she had been forced to go with them.

Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, said he called Combs while driving home and asked why he was in his house. He said Combs calmly replied, ''I want to talk to you.''

But Combs wasn't there when he arrived, Cudi testified. Instead, he found that someone had opened Christmas presents he'd bought for his family and locked his dog in a bathroom. Cudi wasn't sure what was going on, so he called the police.

Cudi's car is set on fire

A few weeks later, Cudi testified, his Porsche 911 convertible was damaged by fire while parked in his driveway. Cudi said he was at a friend's house when his dog-sitter called and told him his car was on fire. Jurors were shown photos of the car's red leather interior scorched and burned, with a hole apparently cut in the fabric roof. A Molotov cocktail was found on the passenger seat, Cudi said.

Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, testified last week that Combs threatened to blow up Cudi's car and hurt him after he learned she was dating the Grammy Award-winning rapper.

Cudi said he didn't have conflicts at the time with anyone other than Combs.

''I knew he had something to do with it,'' Cudi said, leading Combs' lawyers to object. Jurors were told to disregard the remark.

Combs denies involvement in the blaze

Cudi told jurors he met with Combs the next day at a Los Angeles hotel to try to smooth things over.

''After the fire, I said this is getting out of hand. I need to talk to him,'' Cudi said.

At the end of the meeting, as they stood and shook hands, Cudi said he asked Combs: ''What are we going to do about my car?'' Cudi said Combs gave him a ''very cold stare'' and responded, ''I don't know what you're talking about.''

Cudi thought ''he was lying'' but let it go, and there were no more episodes at his house. A few years later, Combs apologized ''for everything'' when they ran into each other at a hotel, Cudi testified.

Combs seemed subdued as Cudi testified. Although he looked toward the witness stand, neither man seemed to react to the other. Cudi didn't look at Combs when he left the stand. Wearing jeans and a black leather jacket, Cudi arrived at the courthouse smoking a cigarette while someone held an umbrella over him in the rain. He didn't speak to reporters while leaving.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He denies using threats or his music industry clout to abuse women and others, and denies forcing Cassie or anyone else to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances called freak-offs.

Combs' lawyer says Cassie was living ‘double life'

During the defense cross-examination of Cudi, Combs' lawyer Brian Steel painted Cassie as the villain in her relationships with Combs and Cudi, suggesting she had played both of them and had been living a ''double life.''

Cudi testified that when he started dating Cassie in late 2011, she led him to believe she and Combs had broken up.

In reality, Cassie testified earlier, she was still seeing Combs and using a ''burner'' phone to contact Cudi so as to keep their relationship secret.

''Ms. Ventura was living two different lives, is that true?'' Steel asked.

''Yes,'' Cudi replied.

Cudi said he was in love with Cassie and was upset to find out she later decided to go back to Combs.

Jury hears more allegations that Combs abused Cassie

In four days of testimony last week, Cassie said Combs physically abused her during most of their relationship from 2007 through 2018.

George Kaplan, Combs' former personal assistant, testified Thursday that in 2015 he saw Combs be violent with Cassie on a private jet. He said no one helped her as she screamed: ''Isn't anybody seeing this?'' Kaplan said he didn't intervene because he was afraid of losing his job, but quit after that attack and a later episode in which he saw Cassie with a bruised eye.

Jurors also heard Thursday from makeup artist Mylah Morales, who's worked for Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and other stars. She said Combs stormed into Cassie's bedroom at a hotel the weekend of the 2010 Grammy Awards.

Combs shut the door and she heard ''yelling and screaming." Then she saw Cassie with a ''swollen eye and a busted lip, and knots on her head.''

Later, the general manager of the ritzy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel testified that Combs frequently stayed there using aliases such as Frank White and Frank Black — names Cassie said he used when checking in for freak-offs, which often involved baby oil and hot wax.

Frédéric Zemmour said Combs' guest profile noted he ''ALWAYS spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil.'' The profile instructed staff to ''place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning.''

The trial is set to resume Tuesday.

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Associated Press writer Julie Walker in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.