Scottie Scheffler Case: Deadline May Force Louisville PD To Punish Their Own, Hours After Bodycam Backlash

Just a day after Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment date got postponed to June 3, the chief of LMPD released a statement. In its official statement, the LMPD has promised an internal investigation report by this week. In fact, the Chief also affirmed that a violation will be handled ‘according to LMPD’s disciplinary protocol.’

Scheffler was arrested last Friday morning while entering Valhalla around 6 am. Traffic was stopped due to a fatal shuttle bus hit-and-kill accident near gate 1, that killed John Millis, 69, a security guard at the golf course. Scheffler, unaware of the matter and the delay in tee-time, wanted to avoid traffic, and, according to his arrest report, “pulled into the westbound lanes where outbound traffic was flowing”. 

A scuffle broke out when Scheffler, allegedly, ‘refused to comply’ with police orders. The reigning Masters champion pulled away in his official PGA Championship vehicle, allegedly, ‘dragging’ Detective Bryan Gillis to the ground, resulting in pain and abrasion on his wrist and knee.In the aftermath, Scottie Scheffler was arrested and slapped with four charges, including a second-degree assault of a police officer. However, he was released quickly and completed all four rounds at the PGA Championship, tying for the eighth spot. 

Interestingly, the Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg, clarified that there was no body-cam footage available from Detective Gillis. In the absence of that, they were looking at some fixed camera recording near that area. Those haven’t been released publicly yet.

And, now a statement from Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, who was appointed as the permanent Police Chief by Greenberg on July 2023, reads, “The internal investigation is still ongoing. Any policy violations that are revealed through the course of the investigation will be appropriately addressed according to LMPD’s disciplinary protocol. The department intends to provide an additional update on the investigation on Thursday, May 23, 2024.”

Notably, in the wake of Scheffler’s arrest, many PGA Tour Pros said that they generally avoid traffic by taking a different route. So, what the two-time Major champion did was nothing outrageous. Scottie Scheffler also found strong support on the course, with fans chanting his name after every shot and some even sporting t-shirts with his mugshot printed on them. 

On top of that, ESPN play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen, who was in the same spot at that time, noted that the yellow jackets worn by LMPD officials didn’t immediately make it clear that they were police and not tournament security. Wischusen also told Golf.com that World No. 1 was driving at “the speed that you would drive a car if you were pulling up to the front gate of a place.”

Scottie Scheffler himself called the entire fiasco a ‘big misunderstanding’ at the Valhalla press conference. The 27-year-old also revealed that the police officials were extremely helpful; they joked with him to calm him down. Notably, at no point in time, he wanted to use his name or stature to get out of that situation. Contrarily, Jeff Darlington, the first to document the entire situation, revealed that Scheffler initially asked him for help.

The 10-time PGA Tour winner was originally set to appear on Tuesday, May 21. However, his attorney, Steve Romines, pushed for a postponement of the date, which was granted by the judge. But not without strong protest from the police attorney. 

Next steps for Scottie Scheffler in the felony case

Romines appealed for a postponement of the case to the district judge, citing a scheduling conflict. However, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell vehemently protested, as seen in a clip circulated on social media. His spokesperson, Josh Abner, said in a statement, “Our office continues to gather information in the case”.

Interestingly, there were reports of charges being dropped. However, Romines clarified that those claims were not true. Assaulting a police officer is a Class C offense in Kentucky, which can result in five to ten years of imprisonment. Scheffler admitted he was speaking with his attorney on Saturday morning. He eventually carded 2-over 73, the first over-par round since last year’s Tour Championship. On Sunday, the 10-time PGA Tour winner admitted he was ”fairly tired” of the whole ordeal.

Scheffler is scheduled to play at the Charles Schwab Challenge this week, which is in his home state, Texas. After that, the two-time major winner will likely be in the field of the Memorial, where he has two back-to-back solo thirds in 2023 and 2021. The Memorial is in Dublin, Ohio, from June 6–9.