The detective who arrested the best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, violated Louisville Police Department policy during the procedure by not turning on his body camera, the city’s police chief and mayor confirmed this Thursday at a press conference.
Bryan Gillis, who has been an employee of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department since November 2007, accused Scheffler of assaulting him during chaotic traffic outside Valhalla Golf Club, a claim that the golfer’s legal team has vehemently denied.
The department also released video of the arrest taken with other cameras, which were fixed a considerable distance from the event and also on the dashboard of a police car. Although the video shows how Scheffler was arrested, it does not clarify how the situation arose or why the number one golfer was detained by the authorities.
Scottie Scheffler was charged with felonious assault for THIS?!?!
That cop should lose his badge. Unreal pic.twitter.com/QPnZFXUcqU
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) May 23, 2024
During the announcement, Mayor Craig Greenberg said they are unaware of any recording that captures the initial interaction between Scheffler and the detective that violated department policy. This situation leaves more questions than answers ahead of Scheffler’s scheduled arraignment in early June.
“Transparency is incredibly important to our administration,” the mayor said. “Activating body-worn cameras is critically important for our police department.”
Neither Greenberg nor the department’s head, Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, discussed further details about the ongoing investigation.
The mayor simply said that the arrest occurred amid unconventional circumstances (darkness, rain and tension) and chaotic traffic following the death of a person unrelated to Scheffler’s case.
Scheffler’s defense does not want deals with the Prosecutor’s Office
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, spoke after the press conference and said the defense has no interest in reaching a deal. He assured that the case would be dismissed or they would be ready to go to trial and prove the golfer’s innocence.
Scheffler, in total, has been charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding the signals of officers directing traffic.
However, authorities have given conflicting versions of what happened.
First, the golfer was arrested outside Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, as he attempted to enter the course to continue his participation in the PGA.
However, the scene at the site was chaotic because that same morning, a tournament worker was hit and killed by a bus near the field. The unfortunate event generated traffic and problems for players to access the place.
Amid this situation, according to the authorities’ version, Scheffler ignored the signals of the officers who were directing traffic, causing injuries to one of them due to a collision. But the golfer said he was just following directions from another detective and called the situation a big misunderstanding.
His lawyer also said that the golfer did not run over any officers and that witnesses have corroborated this version.
“Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area, it was a very chaotic situation. He was proceeding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible,” Romines said. “Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed. He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle.”
