LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Metro Police officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler said he had “no ill will” toward Scheffler after detectives said the professional golfer was injured while directing traffic after a fatal crash at the U.S. PGA Championship.
Louisville prosecutors dropped the charges against Scheffler on Wednesday. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said Scheffler’s account of a misunderstanding with a police officer directing traffic outside Valhalla Golf Club on May 17 was “supported by the evidence.”
Detective Brian Gillis said he wished Scheffler and his family “the best of luck,” but disputed comments made by Scheffler’s attorney after Wednesday’s court hearing. Gillis released a one-page statement to Louisville’s WAVE-TV on Wednesday night.
Scheffler’s lawyer, Steve Romines, said his client was “wrongfully arrested” and has grounds for a lawsuit, but that he does not intend to pursue it. Romines said Wednesday that witnesses at the scene testified that Gillis was not dragged by the car.
Gillis wrote that Romines’ claims of wrongful arrest are “disappointing and disturbing” and a challenge to his “honesty and integrity.”
“To be clear, I was dragged to the ground by the car and suffered visible injuries to my knee and wrist,” Gillis wrote. “I am recovering and will be OK.”
Gillis also joked about the ripped pants mentioned in the initial police report, saying, “I never thought this would lead to me having the most famous pants in the country.”
Details about the arrest emerged in a video that appears to show Scheffler being questioned by another officer on a body camera. Louisville police released two videos from the arrest last week, but neither had audio.
Mayor O’Connell said Wednesday that the body camera video would not be released because the mayor’s office is still investigating the incident. A spokesperson for the mayor also confirmed to media the authenticity of the video.
“I should have stopped. I was a little frustrated because I was pretty late for my tee time,” Scheffler admitted to officers in the new video. The golfer had been preparing to play early in the second round of the four-day tournament but was 30 minutes late arriving at the course.
Romines said the video shows Scheffler being interrogated “after the most stressful situation of his life.”
Gillis was reprimanded for not activating his body camera during the arrest, and the police report states Scheffler “refused to comply, accelerated and dragged him to the ground.”
Scheffler said in the recording that the car window was open and he heard someone yelling for him to stop, but he didn’t know it was a police officer.
“As I approached the car, he grabbed me by the shoulder and punched me,” Scheffler said. “I guess I was a little too aggressive because the entrance was open.” He said he backed away a little because “I thought he was going to start punching me.”
Louisville police said they will release some of the video and documents related to the incident at a later date.
