SUNSET — A man who says he was assaulted by Sunset Police Chief Luis Padilla is speaking out after Padilla pleaded guilty to to a Bill of Information charging him with Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law.
The victim, who is not being identified, says the incident left him shaken and that justice has not been fully served.
The alleged assault took place in December 2023, when the victim says he was outside his home, unaware that his wife had been involved in a hit-and-run accident. That’s when Padilla arrived on the scene.
“My wife had been in a hit-and-run. I didn’t know anything about it, and then Luis Padilla pulled up,” the victim said.
The situation escalated quickly, he recalled.
“He poked my neck with an antenna.”
“He poked his fingers into my shoulder blade.”
The victim says things took a violent turn when he was placed in handcuffs.
“When my hands were in handcuffs, he grabbed my thumb and yanked it all the way back.”
The victim says he suffered a sprained thumb, along with lingering pain and discomfort from the encounter.
He insists he did not resist arrest but was terrified by Padilla’s actions and words.
“The things he told me... I just feared for my life. I was scared.”
When asked what Padilla said, the victim recalled a chilling statement.
“At one point, he told me, ‘It only takes one.’”
Pressed further, the victim said Padilla was referring to a gunshot.
Following the federal investigation, Padilla accepted a plea deal and agreed to step down as police chief. You can read more on the legal proceedings here but for the victim, that’s not enough.
“No, not even remotely close. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t be giving this interview right now—I’d be in the ground.”
The victim, who says he has no criminal history aside from a few traffic tickets, believes Padilla should face prison time.
“He should be in jail. He shouldn’t have had the chance to take a plea.”
The victim also told KATC that finding legal help has been an uphill battle.
"We have reached out to multiple lawyers but no one has gotten back to us."
As of now, Padilla awaits sentencing which is scheduled June 17th.
The Sunset Police Department has not issued a statement on the case.
