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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer says raids of the rapper's homes were 'excessive' use of 'military force'

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Sean 鈥淒iddy" Combs' lawyer said Tuesday that the searches of the rapper's Los Angeles and Miami properties by federal authorities in a were 鈥漚 gross use of military-level force" and that Combs is 鈥渋nnocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name.

It鈥檚 the first public statement from the music mogul鈥檚 team since Monday鈥檚 raids of his homes by Homeland Security Investigations agents.

鈥淵esterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs鈥 residences," said the statement from attorney Aaron Dyer. 鈥淭here is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.鈥

The searches were part of an ongoing sex-trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Combs was not detained and spoke to authorities, and neither he nor any family members were arrested, nor has their travel been restricted, according to Dyer's statement.

Dyers said the 鈥渦nprecedented ambush鈥 has led to a 鈥減remature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.鈥

"There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations," Dyers said. "Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.鈥

Combs鈥 sons, Justin and Christian 鈥淜ing鈥 Combs, were handcuffed during the raid at their father鈥檚 residence in Los Angeles. King, 25, is a music artist whose song "Can't Stop Won't Stop" with Kodak Black topped Billboard's Mainstream R&B Hip-Hop charts in 2022.

Law enforcement conducted the raid Monday at Combs' multimillion-dollar mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighbourhood in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home. Along with a heavy presence of officers, command trucks were parked outside both properties.

The criminal investigation is a major escalation in the scrutiny of Combs, who has been the defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.

In a lawsuit Combs settled the day after it was , his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.

In February, a music producer alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Another of Combs鈥 accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Combs and his attorneys have denied all of the lawsuits' allegations.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Cassie did.

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop鈥檚 biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112. 

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