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.

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