The Kentucky police detective who arrested the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler last week violated his department’s policies by failing to turn on his bodycam during the incident, officials said this week.
Louisville Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a press conference that any disciplinary action against Detective Bryan Gillis would be “in line with our disciplinary protocol and practices.”
“Detective Gillis should have turned on his body-worn camera but did not,” the chief told reporters on Thursday. “His failure to do so is a violation of LMPD police on uniforms and equipment.”
Dashcam footage from one of the police cars shows Scheffler’s vehicle slowly turning into the Valhalla Golf Club ahead of second round of the PGA Championship last Friday morning.
Video footage that was taken from across the street showed that the police officer ran after the vehicle and appeared to throw himself onto the vehicle, at which point Scheffler, who was already driving slowly, brought the vehicle to an immediate stop.
The arresting officer claimed that Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward,” dragging him to the ground — which is not seen anywhere in the video.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic, according to a court document. The second-degree assault charge is a felony, while the others are misdemeanors.
“Our position remains the same as it was last Friday,” the golfer’s attorney Steve Romines said in a statement. “I am not negotiating as we have no interest in settling. I am preparing to litigate as needed and the case will be dismissed or we will go to trial because Scottie did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Mayor Craig Greenberg said that a shuttle bus that struck and killed a resident shortly before the incident “led to a series of very unfortunate events in dark, rainy and tense conditions.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: @LMPD releases the only official video we have of the incident involving PGA Golfer Scottie Scheffler. The black Lexus you see going around the bus is Scheffler. You also see the officer running him down and arresting him. @wave3news #scottiescheffler #pga pic.twitter.com/fJ2ltFLuSG
— Ward Jolles (@wardjolles) May 23, 2024
