Louisville Police Make Public Scottie Scheffler's Arrest Videos and Reprimand Detective for Failing to Activate Body-Worn Camera

Louisville police recently shared two videos that capture parts of the arrest of professional golfer Scottie Scheffler. They also revealed that the detective responsible for the arrest was disciplined for failing to activate his body-worn camera during the incident.

One of the videos was recorded by a stationary pole camera located on the opposite side of the street. This footage shows snippets of the interaction between Scheffler and the police. In the video, a car makes a left turn, prompting an officer in reflective gear to approach the vehicle. The car comes to a stop, and the police officers proceed to remove the driver from the vehicle. Following this, a group of three individuals can be seen crossing the street.

A second video captured by a police vehicle’s dashcam depicts two officers escorting a handcuffed Scheffler. The footage was made public a week after Scheffler's arrest, where he faced charges of felony assault. Despite being released from jail, Scheffler managed to make his tee time at the PGA Championship shortly after, in a whirlwind of events within just a few hours. The PGA Championship is considered one of golf’s four major tournaments.

The world's top golfer was on his way to the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville for the second round of the tournament around 6 a.m. when he encountered a tragic accident. Reports say that he accidentally hit a police officer who was directing traffic, leading to his arrest by the authorities.

The Louisville Metro Police Department released video from a police dashcam showing two officers escorting a handcuffed Scottie Scheffler last Friday.

The Louisville Metro Police Department released video from a police dashcam showing two officers escorting a handcuffed Scottie Scheffler last Friday.

Louisville Metro Police Department

Scheffler, 27, a new father known for his good reputation, faced serious charges including felony second-degree assault on a police officer, as well as lesser charges of third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and ignoring signals from officers directing traffic, as stated in Jefferson County court records.

After having his mugshot taken and spending some time in a jail cell, Scheffler was eventually released and managed to make it to his scheduled tee time at the golf club. Despite the earlier events, he performed exceptionally well on the course, shooting 5-under par that day and ultimately finishing the tournament in a tie for 8th place.

Scheffler called it a "big misunderstanding" that happened during a chaotic situation.

After the news conference on Thursday, Scheffler's lawyer, Steve Romines, confirmed that the golfer still intends to plead not guilty to the charges.

"We believe that the recent developments will not have any impact on our case. Our stance remains unchanged from last Friday: Scottie Scheffler is innocent. We have no intention of settling the case. It will either go to trial or be dismissed. It's as simple as that," he explained. "All the evidence that has come to light only reinforces Scottie's initial statement that this was a chaotic situation stemming from a miscommunication, and he did nothing wrong."

According to a source familiar with the discussions, high-ranking police officials in Louisville have expressed private concerns that the felony charge against Scheffler may be excessive.

Prosecutors are still looking into the case and gathering evidence. The Jefferson County Attorney's office has not yet completed their interviews with investigators about the charges against Mr. Scheffler, according to office spokesman Josh Abner. They want to make it clear that they have not made any decisions yet and are still reviewing the case.

Scheffler, meanwhile, teed off for his first round at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday afternoon.

Police discipline detective for not activating body-worn camera

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Video shows Scheffler in handcuffs at scene

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At a news conference on Thursday, the mayor of Louisville and the police chief revealed that Detective Bryan Gillis faced disciplinary action following an internal investigation.

According to Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, Detective Gillis failed to activate his body-worn camera during the arrest, which goes against the LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment, specifically the use of body-worn cameras.

The police chief mentioned that Gillis did not have his body-worn camera prepared for use as needed. However, the specifics of the disciplinary action taken against the detective were not disclosed.

Jeff Darlington/ESPN

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Scottie Scheffler started his day by warming up in a jail cell. However, he quickly made his way up the PGA Championship leaderboard.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg emphasized the significance of activating body-worn cameras for their police department. He stated that it is crucial for gathering evidence, maintaining community trust, and promoting transparency.

Police have released several documents regarding the detective's failure to activate his body-worn camera. In one of the documents, Gillis explained that he never turned on his camera and shared his own account of the incident.

According to Gillis, while he was directing traffic in front of Gate 1, PGA personnel stopped a bus from entering. He then noticed a vehicle driving in the opposite lanes towards him. After stopping the driver and informing him that he couldn't proceed due to the bus, the driver insisted on entering and went against Gillis's instructions. As a result, Gillis was either dragged or knocked down by the driver and subsequently proceeded to arrest him.

Neither the mayor nor the police chief took questions from the media at Thursday’s news conference.

What we know about the arrest

Despite the arrest, Scottie Scheffler finished the PGA Championship tied for 8th place.

According to a report from the Louisville Metro Police, Scheffler was stopped by Officer Gillis while trying to drive into the golf course. Officer Gillis was wearing a full police uniform and a yellow reflective rain jacket. He attempted to give Scheffler instructions during the encounter.

According to the report, the subject did not follow instructions and drove forward, causing Detective Gillis to fall to the ground.

The report also mentions that Detective Gillis experienced pain, swelling, and scrapes on his left wrist and knee. He was then transported to the hospital for additional medical care. Additionally, his uniform pants, which were valued at approximately $80, were ruined beyond repair as stated in the report.

Romines, Scheffler’s attorney, said the golfer was headed to the course early to prepare to play.

Scottie Scheffler walks the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 19, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

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The situation was chaotic due to a combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area. According to Romines, Scottie was following the directions of another traffic officer and driving a marked player's vehicle with visible credentials. However, in the confusion, Scottie is accused of disregarding a different officer's traffic signals, leading to the charges against him.

Several eyewitnesses have stated that Scheffler did not commit any wrongdoing but simply followed the directions given to him, as mentioned by Romines.

The statement clarified that he stopped right away when directed and did not harm any officer with his vehicle.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington was present during the incident and captured part of it on video. Scheffler, arriving in a designated player courtesy vehicle, attempted to go around the crash site by driving on a median, as reported by ESPN. Darlington mentioned on social media that Scheffler drove approximately 10 to 20 yards towards the entrance before coming to a halt.

The police officer tried to connect himself to Scheffler's car. Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The officer started yelling at Scheffler to come out of the car. Scheffler got out of the car as requested, and the officer pushed him against the car before handcuffing him.

In the video captured by Darlington, police can be seen escorting a handcuffed Scheffler into a police vehicle.

An officer at the scene said, "He's going to jail right now," in the video.

Scheffler's arraignment was supposed to be on Tuesday, but it got postponed to June because of his lawyer's schedule conflict.

CNN’s Ray Sanchez and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

The arrest of professional golfer Scottie Scheffler has raised concerns about the excessive use of force by police, particularly in light of the fact that the arresting officer failed to activate his body-worn camera. While Scheffler has been charged with felony assault, many believe that the charges are too severe and that the incident was a misunderstanding.

Scheffler's attorney has stated that the golfer was following the directions of another traffic officer and did not intentionally harm any officer with his vehicle. Eyewitnesses have also corroborated this account, stating that Scheffler did not commit any wrongdoing. The fact that the arresting officer failed to activate his body-worn camera further raises questions about the transparency and accountability of the police department. It is essential that police officers are held accountable for their actions and that the public has trust in the justice system.