Scottie Scheffler’s arrest not caught on Bodycam video

Scottie Scheffler’s arrest before the 2024 PGA Championship Friday morning was not captured on police body camera, a Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson confirmed to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

“There is no body-worn camera footage of the first encounter,” the police spokesperson said in an email. “The incident is being reviewed internally and will be the subject of legal proceedings. We would like to reiterate that all parties involved are fully cooperating. LMPD is committed to a thorough investigation of all involved .”

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday morning that city officials had not yet obtained the body camera footage of Scheffler’s arrest.

“The officer did not have body camera footage turned on during the incident,” Greenberg told reporters Saturday. “We will release the footage we have…to my knowledge, we have yet to uncover any video of the first contact between Officer (Bryan) Gillis and Mr. Scheffler.”

A fatal crash outside Valhalla Golf Club has disrupted traffic in the area. In their report, Louisville police said Scheffler was trying to drive around traffic and enter the club. He allegedly ignored Gillis’ instructions and “accelerated, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground.” Authorities said Gillis “suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.”

Scheffler faces four charges stemming from the incident: second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey the traffic signals of an officer directing traffic.

The two-time Masters champion was taken into custody and then released before starting the second round.

In a statement to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scheffler said he was “proceeding as instructed by the officers.”

“It was a very chaotic situation, which is understandable given the tragic accident earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said. he declares. “It was never my intention to ignore any of the instructions. I hope I can put that aside and focus on golf today.”

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports also provided a statement from Steve Romines, a Louisville-based attorney representing the star golfer.

“Early in the morning, before his tee time, Scottie would go to the course to begin his pre-round preparation,” Romines said. “Due to the combination of event traffic and a fatal accident in the area, the situation was very chaotic. He was proceeding under the instructions of another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible.

“In the confusion, Scottie allegedly ignored another officer’s traffic signals, which led to these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses confirmed that he did nothing wrong but was simply proceeding as instructed. He stopped immediately after being directed to and never at all assaulted an officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this case if necessary and he will be completely exonerated.

In September 2020, the city of Louisville reached a $12 million settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor, a resident who was shot and killed in her home by Louisville police. Following an investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Louisville police “engaged in conduct or practice that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law.”

Requiring officers to wear body cameras was among reforms made in the wake of Taylor’s death.