Charges against Scottie Scheffler from his incident with Louisville Police at the PGA Championship have been dropped.
But, while talking about that on Wednesday, Scheffler’s lawyer had a heated exchange with a reporter asking questions about footage of the golf star’s exchange with a police officer.
Steve Romines held a press conference after charges against his clients had been dropped — reports side both sides sought to resolve the matter “amicably” — and he criticized Louisville Police for how they treated Scheffler while he was being arrested.
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May 19, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Scottie Scheffler walks off the first green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. (Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)
That led to a question from reporter Natalia Martinez of WAVE News, who suggested Scheffler’s reflection on what happened didn’t align with what he said in the bodycam footage that was released.
She said Scheffler agreed with the police officer after he mentioned his counterpart being “dragged” by Scheffler’s vehicle after being read his Miranda rights, indicating he was aware that his words could be used in a court of law.
“No, here’s what happened,” Romines answered quickly. “He is being interrogated after the most stressful situation of his life. And an officer is actually asking him leading questions and trying to get him to agree with them. And that’s why you don’t talk to the police because they are going to try to put words in your mouth! That’s exactly what they did.
CHARGES AGAINST SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER IN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ARREST DISMISSED
“He didn’t have to speak, but again, he asked to talk to the officer. He wanted to explain to him what happened. However, they are trying to get him to confess to something that he didn’t do, and the video evidence shows he didn’t do it.”
The bodycam footage shows Scheffler sitting handcuffed in a police vehicle with an officer talking to him about what happened. Scheffler began explaining the situation, saying he had to “loop all the way around” the traffic in the road, which was due to the death of a volunteer at Valhalla Golf Club for the tournament after he was struck by a shuttle bus.
Scheffler said a police officer told him to go in the way he did, going the opposite way of traffic. He goes on to say the officer had told him to stop, but he thought it was a security guard who was mistaken about why he was going that way. The officer suggests Scheffler should’ve stopped his vehicle no matter the case.
“You’re right, I should have stopped,” Scheffler responded. “I did get a little impatient because I’m quite late for my tee time. As he was reaching into the car, he grabbed my shoulder and hit me. It seemed to be a little overaggressive because the entrance was open, and I pulled up a little bit because I was afraid he was going to start hitting me. I didn’t know who he was. He didn’t tell me he was a police officer.”
“He just hit me with his flashlight and yelled, ‘Get out of the car,’” Scheffler added.
“You actually hurt him, and he’s a police officer,” the officer speaking to Scheffler says later in the video. “He’s got a huge scrape on his knee. He’s getting checked by EMS — big bruise. So, I don’t know.”
The officer said it would be up to Det. Bryan Gillis whether Scheffler would go to jail. Scheffler was booked and charged with four different counts, including felony assault over injuries to Gillis.
May 18, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Scottie Scheffler tees off on the eighth hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. (Clare Grant/USA Today Sports)
However, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell addressed the court on Wednesday, filing a motion to have charges dropped.
“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Bryan Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler. However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange and during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
Gillis was also reprimanded for not turning on his bodycam, per Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, who said during a press conference that “corrective action” came after an internal investigation found proper protocols were not met.
Footage from outside Valhalla Golf Club was released, and it showed the incident as Scheffler described it, where his window was down and Gillis ran up to the vehicle and reached inside. However, at no point was he being dragged by the vehicle.
Gillis released a statement following the decision to drop charges against Scheffler.
“Mr. Scheffler and I both agree that there will be no ill will over this going forward,” the statement read. “Instead of giving a negative public reaction, he chose to speak with dignity, humility, and respect. My family and I appreciate that.”
Golfer Scottie Scheffler on the 18th green at the 2024 PGA Championship second round Friday at Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky. May 17, 2024. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network)
Gillis added that it was “unfortunate and disturbing” to hear Romines call the situation a “false arrest, saying “I’d be surprised and disappointed if Mr. Scheffler actually had any part in making those statements.”
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Scheffler also released a statement on the charges being dropped.
“Earlier today, I was informed by my attorney, Steve Romines, that all charges were formally dismissed in regard to the incident outside of Valhalla Golf Club on May 17,” Scheffler wrote on Instagram. “As I stated previously, this was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation.”
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