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Charges against Scottie Scheffler dropped after 'big misunderstanding' outside PGA Championship
Charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dropped after the Jefferson County attorney's office in Louisville, Ky., told a judge Wednesday that it was not moving forward with the case nearly two weeks after the world's No. 1 golfer was arrested outside the PGA Championship.
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler," Jefferson County Atty. Mike O'Connell said during a court hearing. "Mr. Scheffler’s characterization that this was ‘a big misunderstanding’ is corroborated by the evidence.”
Scheffler was arrested May 17 before the start of the second round of the tournament after attempting to drive into the entrance at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville as police were investigating a fatal traffic accident that had occurred at the site earlier that morning.
Scheffler was booked on four charges: second-degree assault of a police officer, which is a felony, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. He was released without bail and was able to play his round that day, shooting a five-under 66.
Read more: Scottie Scheffler arrested in alleged assault of officer outside PGA Championship. He still played
According to a police report filed soon after the incident, Louisville Metro Police Department Det. Bryan Gillis stopped Scheffler, who refused to comply with the officer’s instructions and accelerated his vehicle forward, “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground” and causing injuries.
Last week, Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said during a news conference that no video was available from the first part of Gillis' interaction with Scheffler and that Gillis had been disciplined for not turning on his body camera during the interaction. The department did post two videos showing Scheffler’s arrest on its YouTube channel.
“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Det. Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said in the courtroom. “However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department said in a statement posted Wednesday on X, "We respect the County Attorney’s decision, and we respect the judicial process."
Read more: Scottie Scheffler arrested in alleged assault of officer outside PGA Championship. He still played
Scheffler, who was not present at the hearing, posted a statement to his Instagram Story soon after the decision was announced.
"I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis," Scheffler wrote. "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."
Scheffler's attorney, Steven Romines, told reporters after the hearing that two eyewitnesses had disputed the police account that Scheffler's car had dragged Gillis. He also said that he and his client had been prepared to go forward with civil litigation against the police department Monday, the day Scheffler's arraignment was scheduled to take place, but will not be doing so now that the charges have been dropped.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
