LAFAYETTE, La. – A federal grand jury in Lafayette, Louisiana, has returned an indictment charging Luis Enrique Padilla a/k/a Louis Padilla, Chief of Police of the Sunset Police Department, with a federal civil rights violation for willfully using unreasonable force against an individual.
The indictment alleges that on or about December 1, 2023, Padilla, acting in his official capacity as Chief of Police, used unreasonable force against an individual during an investigation and detention. The indictment further alleges that without legal justification, the individual was restrained in handcuffs, and Padilla forcefully twisted the individual’s thumb and wrist in a manner intended to cause pain, which resulted in bodily injury to the individual.
Padilla has been arrested and is scheduled to make his initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst at 3:30 p.m.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Padilla faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.