UPDATE: Sunset Police Chief Luis Padilla, who was arraigned Tuesday on a federal civil rights violation charge, has issued a statement on the situation.
Here's the statement, which was sent to KATC by "the Padilla Defense Team."
Sadly, across our country, there has been a spate of lawsuits against hard working law enforcement officials who come into contact with disrespectful and uncooperative young men. Resisting arrest and tussling with the police can lead to consequences.
In this case involving the long time, popular Police Chief of Sunset, we ask everyone to withhold judgment until all of the facts (are) made public. Let us review the body camera videos, the witnesses' statements and the statements of the participants.
Only then, will we know whether this is the case of a brutal officer or of an uncooperative young man resisting arrest. Let's just wait for all the facts.
Federal prosecutors filed a criminal indictment against Padilla yesterday, not a lawsuit. The criminal case was investigated by the FBI and he was indicted by a federal grand jury.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Lafayette said Padilla was indicted on a federal civil rights violation for willfully using unreasonable force against an individual.
The federal indictment alleges that during an investigation on December 1, 2023, Chief Padilla restrained someone in handcuffs without justification while forcefully twisting that person's thumb and wrist to cause pain. Federal prosecutors said that force injured the person, whom they did not name.
Padilla's public defender entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. A federal judge set an unsecured $30,000 bond. He appeared in court wearing a dress shirt, slacks and shackles.
As an additional condition of his release, the court ordered that Padilla cannot possess a firearm.
