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Sean “Diddy” Combs is on suicide watch as he awaits trial in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, sources tell PEOPLE.
Combs, 54, was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on the night of Monday, Sept. 16. The next day, his indictment was unsealed, revealing that he’s charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He was remanded to MDC on Tuesday, Sept. 17, after pleading not guilty and being denied bail twice this week. It is not known if Combs is suicidal or how long he has been on suicide watch. Sources tell PEOPLE that it is for preventative measures as Combs is in shock and his mental state is unclear.
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.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Bureau of Prisons and SDNY.
During a court hearing, Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, asked a judge for the music mogul to be transferred to a prison in Essex County in New Jersey. The decision was ultimately put in the hands of the Bureau of Prisons.
PEOPLE reached out to Combs’ attorneys for comment.
MDC, which houses 1,600 inmates — many of whom are awaiting trial — is known for being dangerous and understaffed, with a high number of deaths and suicides. In their motion for Combs to be granted bail, his attorneys wrote that “several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention,” per The Daily Beast.
“Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered,” the legal team added. “At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years.”
In the indictment against Combs, he was accused of forcing victims to have “freak offs,” which prosecutors describe as “elaborate and produced sex performances.”
He allegedly used his fame and influence as well as drugs like cocaine, ketamine and oxycodone, to coerce and intimidate women to join the “freak offs.” Additionally, the “freak offs” were sometimes allegedly captured on camera without the victims’ knowledge. Federal investigators seized three AR-15 rifles and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant when raiding his Miami and Los Angeles homes this past March.
Another conference hearing for Diddy is set for Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m.
