Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook has announced the sentencing of Luis Enrique Padilla, also known as Louis Padilla, the former Chief of Police of the Sunset Police Department. United States District Judge David C. Joseph sentenced Padilla to six months of home incarceration with GPS monitoring and five years of probation for using unreasonable force against an individual, violating their civil rights.
Padilla pled guilty in March to a one-count Bill of Information charging him with deprivation of rights under color of law. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to resign and not seek re-election. He had served as Chief since 2016. The court heard that on December 1, 2023, while acting under the color of law, Padilla used unreasonable force during an arrest.
While investigating a hit-and-run incident, Padilla reported to the suspect’s residence where he encountered a male outside who was not involved in the incident and did not match the suspect’s description. Despite this, Padilla approached aggressively and handcuffed the individual without resistance or threat from him.
During the encounter, while handcuffed, Padilla poked the man in his chest and neck area and yelled at him threateningly. He warned “let me show you how bad I am” before twisting the victim’s left thumb and wrist forcefully. The victim was unlawfully detained but released without charges at the Sunset Police Department.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation into this case which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Myers P. Namie.
