`Puff Daddy's' entourage investigated in Detroit

Just when it seemed that hip-hop star Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs was out of the woods with the law and ready to party, a new wave of legal troubles has headed his way.

Detroit Police are investigating an Aug. 10, 1999, incident in which three members of Combs' entourage are accused of assaulting Roger Mills, host of the Comcast cable talk and entertainment program "The Roger Mills Show" at WCHQ (105.9) radio station in Detroit.

Meanwhile, the rapper, producer and Bad Boy Records label head has canceled his "Platinum 2000" party scheduled for the Royal Oak (Mich.) Music Theatre Friday.

The cancellation comes after an incident Dec. 28 in which Combs and girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were held by police after leaving a New York City nightclub where shots were fired.

In the Detroit incident, Mills and his crew said they were assaulted when they refused to hand over a videotaped interview with Combs, according to a police report. They said members of his entourage also destroyed the videotape outside the radio station.

"The host asked Sean Combs what he thought about a rumor that Mr. Combs was in some way responsible for Notorious B.I.G.'s (Christopher Wallace's ) death," said Anthony Wichowski, a cameraman, in a statement to Detroit police.

Combs shouted some vulgarities and ended the interview. His public-relations representative, Lisa Spiritus, asked for the tape of the interview. When they refused, several men accosted Mills and his crew, they claimed.

Thirteenth Precinct Cmdr. Arnold Wicker said his investigators were working with the New York Police Department to identify three suspects listed in the police report.

"We are investigating to see if the three people wanted here are the same people that the NYPD has talked to," Wicker said.