Exclusive: Diddy Placed On Suicide Watch While Awaiting Trial, Mental State Unclear

Iconic music mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been placed on suicide watch at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), according to sources who spoke to PEOPLE.

The 54-year-old artist was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on the night of Monday, September 16, the authorities did not reveal the reason for his arrest until the next day, when his indictment was unsealed, showing a series of serious charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution transportation.

Combs was taken into custody on Tuesday, September 17, after pleading not guilty. Despite several attempts, bail was denied twice this week, keeping him in the prison cell as he awaits trial. While it remains unclear if Combs is genuinely suicidal, sources have shared that this precautionary measure is being taken due to the shock he is in and concerns about his mental state.

According to the U.S Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections, suicide watch is “supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation.”

During a court session, Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, urged the judge to send the music mogul to a jail in Essex County, New Jersey. The decision was ultimately put in the hands of the Bureau of Prisons.

Read This: Diddy Denied Bail Again, Rapper to Remain in Jail

MDC, which houses 1,600 inmates, many of whom are awaiting trial, is notoriously hazardous and understaffed, with a high rate of deaths and suicides.

According to The Daily Beast, in their application to grant Combs bail, his attorneys stated that several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) are not fit for pre-trial detention.”

According to reports gathered by his legal team, just this summer, an inmate was “murdered,” and “At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years.”

The accusation against Combs accused him of forcing victims to conduct “freak offs,” which prosecutors characterize as “elaborate and produced sex performances.”

He allegedly used his fame and influence, as well as narcotics including cocaine, ketamine, and oxycodone, to force and threaten women into joining the “freak offs.” Furthermore, the “freak offs” were allegedly recorded on video without the victims’ knowledge.

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During a raid on his Miami and Los Angeles homes in March, federal authorities found three AR-15 weapons and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.