Latino Man recieves $77,000 settlement from Riverside County - Beaten While Handcuffed

Riverside County officials have paid $77,000 to a Mexican national who filed a lawsuit last year after being punched in the face by a sheriff's deputy. Francisco Padilla's lawsuit alleged that Deputy Alexander G. Todd beat him without provocation during a traffic stop west of Temecula in April 2003. Todd said in his police report that he had acted in self-defense. The encounter was recorded on videotape, and earlier this year, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles found that the deputy was not using excessive force when he punched Padilla. Todd still works at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Southwest Station. Padilla, 19, filed a second lawsuit in September after being arrested outside a Food 4 Less store in Temecula. The settlement resolves both lawsuits, said Luis Carrillo, one of Padilla's attorneys. Gregory Moreno, Padilla's other attorney, said the agreement sends a message. "The amount is significant enough to show that there is something irregular that occurred out there that day," he said. "This particular kind of conduct is not acceptable," he added. After the first incident, Padilla voluntarily went back to Mexico, Carrillo said, but he later returned to Riverside County. He was deported after the Food 4 Less incident. Carrillo said the money will be sent to him in Mexico. The tape was obtained by Los Angeles-area television station Telemundo 52, and parts of it were broadcast across Southern California. In his police report, Todd said he had acted in self-defense when he punched Padilla. Todd said Padilla tried to flee while being issued a traffic citation and continued to struggle to get away even when Todd had him on the ground. [more] and [more] [more]