Scottie Scheffler had his usual smile hanging on his lips in the second-round press conference. Even though, only a few hours earlier, he was taken into custody for what he said was a ‘big misunderstanding’. The current world no. 1 said the police officers were supportive; they had a nice chat; they shared jokes; and he also had his breakfast there.

But no trace of that cordiality could be found in the lines of the police report. Contrarily, the officer in charge has four serious charges against him, from reckless driving to assaulting an officer on duty. The latter is a class C felony, which can result in 5–10 years of imprisonment. Here is what the LMPD report states.

Scottie Scheffler ‘refused to comply’ despite warnings

The report details that Detective Bryan Gillis, who has been with the Louisville police department since 2007, was maintaining the traffic at gate one. The only way to reach Valhalla Golf Club was through the westbound Shelbyville road. Detective Gillis was in the middle of the road wearing a high-visibility yellow rain jacket. 

The report states that the officer tried to stop Scheffler and offer instructions. However, the reigning Masters champion didn’t stop. “Subject (Scottie Scheffler) refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.” Notably, Jeff Darlington of ESPN, who was on the ground at the time, termed the situation confusing and chaotic.

Nevertheless, the police report states that the detective suffered injuries that required medical attention. “He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel. Detective Gillis, as uniform pants valued at approximately $80 were damaged beyond repair.”

It should be noted that there hasn’t been any official footage of the fracas other than the one Darlington shot. Louisville mayor told WDRB, “We did not have any .. to my knowledge. We have not had discovered any video of the initial contact between officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler.” Although Scheffler, tried to diffuse the situation in the post-round press conference, his attorney denied the charges straight away, vowing to fight for justice. 

Scheffler’s attorney is ready for litigation

Steve Romines, who Scottie Scheffler hired as his attorney emphasized that his client was acting on the direction of another police officer. When the world no.1, unaware of the fatal accident and the delay in tee time was driving to Valhalla, an officer directed him to take the westbound road. Notably, Scottie Scheffler was in an official PGA Championship vehicle. 

However, there was some miscommunication which resulted in Detective Gillis ordering Scheffler to stop. As for the arrest and the subsequent charges, Romines clearly told WDRB, “Over-charging, yeah, it’s very typical in every case. It gives more leverage in a possible resolution of the case.” Promising to fight as long as necessary, Romines added, “We’re scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday. We’ll plead not guilty.” 

Scottie Scheffler is scheduled to appear before the court on May 21. Before that, he hopes to add one more major title to his resume. The 10-time PGA Tour winner will tee off at 1.29 PM from the 1st tee. PGA of America has decided to have split tees and threesomes so that the third round gets completed in the scheduled time.

Stay tuned to EssentiallySports for all the timely updates on the ongoing 2024 PGA Championship.