Louisville police have released footage of the moment they arrested world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler on his way to the PGA Championship last week.
Scheffler was arrested in the early hours of last Friday (May 17) as he arrived for his second round at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
The 27-year-old was charged with failing to stop for police while trying to enter a traffic stop following a fatal collision between a bus and a member of tournament security staff, John Mills.
Nearly a week after the stunning incident in Valhalla, Louisville police held a press conference Thursday to provide an update on Scheffler’s situation, while also releasing two separate videos from the morning in question.
However, none of the videos show Scheffler dragging Detective Bryan Gillis to the ground, as alleged in a police citation, nor the initial interaction that led to his arrest.
Louisville police have released footage of the moment they arrested Scottie Scheffler on his way to the PGA Championship.
A mugshot of world number one Scottie Scheffler following his arrest by Louisville police last Friday.
Contrary to reports, the Louisville Metro Police Department announced that all four charges against Scheffler, including second-degree assault on a police officer, will not be dropped prior to his June 3 arraignment.
LMPD also released footage of the moment Scheffler was handcuffed and arrested from two video cameras. They are not aware of any recording of the initial interaction between the golf star and the police.
One video came from a fixed pole camera on Shelbyville Road, while the second was recorded from a police car’s dashboard camera.
Post camera footage shows Scheffler being detained by a police officer who appears to hit his car while attempting to enter Valhalla, which apparently occurred after his interaction with Bryan Gillis, the detective he is accused of dragging and hurt later. ignoring instructions to stop.
The two-time Masters champion can then be seen exiting the vehicle and being led away in handcuffs after the incident.
In the dash cam footage, which lasts more than 55 minutes, you cannot make out the moment that led to Scheffler’s arrest as other vehicles block the view, but at one point he is seen being escorted away in handcuffs by police.
Any additional footage or evidence will not be released until the conclusion of the legal process.
Scheffler is accused of dragging Detective Bryan Gillis (pictured) to the ground after failing to stop his car, but none of the images show the alleged incident.
In pole camera footage, a police officer appears to hit Scheffler’s car while ordering her to stop (left), before the golf star abandons her vehicle and is taken away in handcuffs (right).
Dashcam footage also shows the moment Scheffler was taken away in handcuffs.
The 27-year-old was detained by police on a stunning morning at the PGA Championship.
Louisville police also announced that Gillis violated policy by not turning on his body camera during the arrest as required by policy. She is said to have received “corrective action” for the violation.
On an LMPD body camera recording failure form, Gillis explained what would have been captured if he had turned on his body camera that morning.
“While directing traffic in front of Gate 1, PGA staff stopped a bus entering Gate 1,” he said. ‘I observed a vehicle traveling in the opposite lane and coming towards me.
‘I stopped the driver and warned him that he could not continue because of the bus: (Scheffler) demanded to be let in and continued ahead against my instructions.
‘I was dragged/hit by the driver. I then proceeded to arrest the driver.
The Louisville Metro Police Department said Scheffler was charged with four counts; second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding the signals of officers directing traffic.
In Kentucky, second-degree assault is a class C felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
He was scheduled to be arraigned in a Louisville court on Tuesday, but that appearance was rescheduled for June 3.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg provided an update on the situation at a news conference.
Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel also spoke at Thursday’s conference.
There was speculation that the charges would be dropped or even reduced. Instead, however, officials promised to “respect the legal process” and “let it play out.”
“We all look forward to moving forward,” Mayor Greenberg said. ‘But we have to respect the legal process. And that’s what we’re going to do. “We’re going to let that happen.”
After the brief press conference, in which neither the mayor nor police responded to media questions, Scheffler’s attorney issued a scathing statement.
‘(This) will not affect my case at all. Our position is the same as last Friday. “Scottie Scheffler did nothing wrong, we are not interested in solving the case, we will either try it or it will be dismissed,” he stated.
‘It is very simple. All the evidence that continues to emerge continues to support what Scottie said all along: this was a chaotic situation and a miscommunication and he did nothing wrong.
Scheffler’s lawyer insists his client “did nothing wrong” that morning in question
‘We are prepared to litigate the case if necessary. If it’s not necessary, that’s fine, but our position remains the same: either dismiss it or go to trial…we’ll let the process play out.
He added: “My role is to represent Scottie Scheffler and that’s what I will continue to do.” Nothing has changed since my comment last week: he did nothing wrong. We will go to trial or the case will be dismissed. We have no interest in resolving the case, there are no discussions about it. We are prepared to litigate as necessary.
Romines was aware of the video that was later released on Thursday. ‘I’ve seen everything there is to see. Everything in there backs up exactly what Scottie has said all along.”