Scottie Scheffler arrest, charges: Louisville police to investigate protocol, world No. 1’s arraignment pushed, full details below
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed Tuesday that the Louisville Metro Police Department will launch an investigation into whether the officers who arrested Scottie Scheffler on Friday morning outside Valhalla Golf Club — before the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship — followed proper protocol.
“I think that’s critically important that we do that, not just in high-profile events like [those] took place on Friday but on a regular basis,” Greenberg said. “And if policies are not being followed, there will be transparency about that. There will be action taken.”
Greenberg confirmed Saturday that arresting officer Bryan Gillis did not activate his body camera at the time of the arrest. He went on to state that the department would release any footage it captured but that it lacked video of the initial contact between Scheffler and Gillis. Greenberg hoped a camera across the street would provide the missing footage and that it would be made public.
“From my understanding, based on the facts I am aware of right now, I understand why body cam may not have been turned on at the initial contact between Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler,” Greenberg said Tuesday. “I still have questions about why it was not on during Mr. Scheffler’s arrest.”
LMPD’s policy states officers must activate body cameras prior to engaging in law enforcement activities.
According to the arrest report, the road on which Scheffler’s incident occurred was closed in both directions following the fatal accident from earlier Friday morning.
Scheffler is alleged to having “refused to comply” with Gillis’ instructions, leading Scheffler to continue move his vehicle forward with Gillis saying he was dragged to the ground by the PGA Championship courtesy car. The officer received medical treatment after he “suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee,” and his uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were “damaged beyond repair.”
Scheffler described the moments as “a very chaotic situation” thorugh a statement and later told the media that the incident was a “big misunderstanding” after shooting 5-under 66 in his second round. The world No. 1 was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
Scheffler’s arraignment, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, was pushed back to June 3 following a successful motion from his defense attorney.