Former Las Vegas Officer Who Led Route 91 Shooting Investigation and Maui Police Chief During Lahaina Fires Named as Co-Defendant in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sexual Assault Lawsuit

On October 1, 2017, shots rang out all over the Las Vegas Strip as concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival fled to safety.

In total, 59 people were killed and over 500 injured during the chaos that erupted from above on the country music gathering.

John Pelletier, then a captain with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, was the incident commander and was tasked with managing the extensive crime scene.

After an incredibly controversial investigation, it was determined that Stephen Paddock, 64, was the lone gunman who opened fire on the crowd from the Mandalay Bay hotel, positioned adjacent to and above the music venue.

The assessment was woefully inadequate, seemingly omitting hordes of evidence including 911 calls and evidence that suggested multiple shooters and suspicious circumstances regarding aircraft overhead before and after the events.  Several helicopters began hovering over the event 10 to 15 minutes prior to the shooting before turning off their transponders while another helicopter appeared on radar as a Southwest Airlines commuter jet.

Vegas-local Mindy Robinson put together an incredible documentary exposing the inadequacies of the investigation.  You can view that documentary here.

Following the events in Las Vegas, Pelletier moved to Maui, Hawaii and was named police chief on December 15, 2021.

Again, tragedy would find Pelletier as he was the head law enforcement officer during the August 8th, 2023 Lahaina Fire, which claimed 102 lives.

Once again, numerous claims of mismanagement arose following the fire.  They included a lack of planning, ineffective or unavailable advanced warning systems, and potential evacuation routes blocked by debris and, in many cases, police officers.

While he remained as the Maui Police Chief following the Lahaina Fire, there are now calls for him to be placed on administrative leave, including from the Maui mayor.

The calls for administrative leave are in conjunction with him being named as a co-defendant in a federal lawsuit levied against disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.  Trouble certainly seems to follow this man wherever he may go.

The lawsuit was originally filed in October 2024 by Ashley Parham along with an anonymous man and woman.  On March 7th, that complaint was amended to include Chief Pelletier, as well as many other notable figures including former NFL star Odell Beckham, Jr., singer Jacquelyn “Jaguar” Wright, and Keith Lucks aka “Big Homie CC,” among others.

The following are claims from the complaint filed in federal court and all defendants are afforded the presumption of innocence.

NEW: Maui Police Chief John Pelletier named in Diddy lawsuit, is accused of being a co-conspirator.

Pelletier is accused of being involved in a cover-up for a gang r*pe when he was working as a Las Vegas police captain.

According to the accuser, Pelletier “posed” as a… pic.twitter.com/8ep6qYgEWG

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 11, 2025

The allegations regarding Pelletier stem from 2018, when he was hired to provide security for Combs.  According to the complaint, one of the co-defendants, Shane Pearce, invited the plaintiff, Ashley Parham, to his house on March 23, 2018, following an altercation that he intervened in at a bar a month prior.

Combs showed up at the residence with an entourage and ultimately threatened to give Parham a “Glasgow smile” for disparaging remarks she made about Combs’ alleged involvement in rapper Tupac Shakur’s murder.  A “Glasgow smile” refers to cuts made from the corner of the mouth, through the cheek and back towards one’s ear, similar to Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ in the Dark Knight series.

Following the remarks, Combs and several other co-defendants brutally raped the plaintiff, according to the complaint.  Parham was able to escape after slashing Combs with a knife in the abdomen and ran outside screaming for the police.  As gunshots rang out in her direction, Parham fled to a neighbor’s house and told them she was raped by Combs.  The neighbor informed her that they had already called the police.

A man dressed as a Contra Costa Sheriff showed up at the home, however, Parham claims that it was actually John Pelletier dressed as a law enforcement officer.  As Parham told him that she was violently gang-raped by Combs and others, he told her that the police had received several noise complaints and that she needed to “find a way to get home.”

He did not offer her a ride home nor did he call any emergency services.  There was no attempt to help her retrieve any of her personal belongings either.

According to the complaint, Pelletier handed the neighbor what appeared to be an envelope that Parham believed was full of cash.  The neighbor went inside their home and then quickly returned empty-handed.

Parham would eventually retrieve her belongings and keys and leave, despite attempts to convince her to stay.

The Contra Costa Sheriff’s office confirmed there was a police report that night made by Parham but refused to release any information when requested by Freedom of Information Act requests.  These denials include requests from counsel involved in the litigation, stating they would only release it if it were subpoenaed.

Prior to the alleged gang rape of Parham, plaintiffs John and Jane Doe, a mother and son, claim that Pelletier had taken them at gunpoint from their Las Vegas homes and “instructed them to get into a black SUV regarding extraditing Plaintiffs for warrants to California.”

When the duo asked to see the warrants, Pelletier alleged threatened to shoot them if they “protested further.”

The two were then transported to what they believed was Pelletier’s residence on Bay St., in Las Vegas, where they were brought inside and physically restrained.  Eventually, they were loaded back into an SUV and then proceeded to be trafficked to “various locations throughout California” to a string of “safe houses,” with Danville, CA, being the first place they were able to identify.

The mother and son ultimately ended up at the location where Parham was allegedly being gang raped.  The son was prompted to participate while the mother, herself, claimed she was sexually assaulted by Ruben Valdez.

When the mother and son were able to escape, they fled to a neighbor and begged them to call 911.  The neighbor refused.

The two hid until law enforcement responded, however, according to the complaint, Pelletier intercepted the police and told them there was an ongoing federal investigation into drug-trafficking taking place.  Pelletier told the police that the plaintiffs were “suspects” in the investigation, and that they were homeless.

Defendant Matias Gonzalez then transported the plaintiffs away from the scene and, after a confrontation regarding payment with two other co-defendants, “gave Plaintiffs the keys to the SUV and released them.”

The Plaintiffs drove away, eventually stopping to ask for directions to a police station.  Neither had phones or a GPS.  Plaintiffs went to a police station in Orinda, CA and spoke with an officer, but stopped short of filing a police report, claiming they recalled defendants saying they’d be “deemed crazy and non-believable.”

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen has asked the Police Commissioner to place Pelletier on administrative leave while they conduct an investigation.

Maui Police Department spokesperson Alana Pico denied the allegations, according to MauiNow.com, telling them in an email:

“Chief Pelletier has no connections whatsoever to any individuals named in the lawsuit.  The allegations suggesting his involvement are entirely unfounded. We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate these claims to be false and will expose those who are deliberately trying to manipulate the legal system to spread misleading narratives.”

In re: new Plaintiffs John and Jane Doe in Parham v. Combs,

The Plaintiffs allege that they were kidnapped at gunpoint by alleged Diddy coconspirator John Pelletier and transported to his residence, then traveled to California in a convoy that included Kristina Khorram. pic.twitter.com/Vb3qxOMz2w

— ‍ The Diddy Docket (@diddydocket) March 8, 2025

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