Cop in Scottie Scheffler arrest committed ‘violation’: police chief

Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel chided Detective Bryan Gillis for not activating his bodycam during his confrontation with and arrest of Scottie Scheffer last Friday outside Valhalla Golf Club, calling it a “policy violation.”

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg previously confirmed there is no bodycam footage of the scene.

.@LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel on Scottie Scheffler's arrest: "Detective Gillis should have turned on his body-worn camera but did not. … Our officer has received corrective action for this policy violation." pic.twitter.com/93YaHxdkOe

— WDRB News (@WDRBNews) May 23, 2024

LMPD Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel speaks at the press conference. Screenshot via WLKY

Mayor Craig Greenberg during a news conference on May 23, 2024. Screenshot via WLKY

“Detective Gillis did have an encounter with Scottie Scheffler. Detective Gillis should have turned on his bodycam, but did not … Detective Gillis was counseled by his supervisor,” Gwinn-Villaroel said at a press conference Thursday.

Scottie Scheffler was arrested ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship in May 2024. Louisville Metro Department of Corrections

Scottie Scheffler was detained by police outside Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., on May 17, 2024. AP

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Gwinn-Villaroel added that “corrective action” was taken against Gillis.

The police are releasing two videos, though neither shows the confrontation between Scheffler and Gillis.

The videos — one from a pole camera and another from a police vehicle’s dashcam — will instead show the arrest of Scheffler, which was first captured by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington the morning of the incident.

Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed at the scene as captured by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. X / @JeffDarlington

Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, was detained early last Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship following a misunderstanding about traffic flow in the wake of a fatal accident involving a shuttle bus near Valhalla.

The two-time Masters champion, 27, had been attempting to make his way to the course and is alleged to have injured Gillis, who “suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee” and was hospitalized, per a citation report of the incident.

Scheffler was charged with a felony second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officer directing traffic.

Scottie Scheffler played in the second round of the PGA Championship following the incident. Getty Images

Leading up to Thursday’s presser, CNN reported that some Louisville police officials found the felony assault charge against Scheffler “excessive.”

In a statement following last Friday’s ordeal, Scheffler said, “I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions.”

Fans of Scottie Scheffler were seen wearing T-shirts with his mugshot at the PGA Championship on May 17, 2024. Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler spoke to the media following his second round. AP

Upon being released from custody, Scheffler made his tee time shortly after 10 a.m. May 17, finishing the second round with a 5-under 66.

“I feel like my head is still spinning,’’ Scheffler said after Friday’s round. “I can’t really explain what happened this morning. I was pretty rattled, to say the least. I was never angry. I was just in shock. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me.

“The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great. We had a nice chat in the car, that kind of helped calm me down. I was sitting there waiting to kind of go in and I asked him, ‘Hey, excuse me, can you just come hang out with me for a few minutes so I can calm down?’”

Scottie Scheffler during the final round of the PGA Championship on May 19, 2024. Getty Images

Scheffler, who fell out of contention on Saturday with a 2-over par 73, tied for eighth in the tournament with a total score of 13-under while Xander Schauffele claimed his first major win Sunday at 21-under.

The reigning Masters champion, who recently became a first-time parent with wife Meredith, is in the field for this weekend’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Scheffler will tee off at 1:45 p.m. Thursday in the opening round.