LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) released hours of bodycam videos and a complete investigative report Friday into Scottie Scheffler's arrest before the PGA Championship's second round on May 17.
Scheffler was accused of failing to obey traffic commands and dragging Det. Bryan Gillis with his PGA-branded vehicle while Gillis was working a traffic detail following a fatal crash outside Valhalla Golf Club.
There is no bodycam video of Scheffler "dragging" Gillis as the officer did not turn his body camera on at the time, which he has been disciplined for, according to LMPD.
The arrest citation said Gillis received injuries to his left wrist and knee and his $80 uniform pants were "damaged beyond repair" as well.
Photos taken after Scheffler's arrest show a scrape to Gillis' wrist, a scratch on his knee, and a single hole in the back of his pants.
While Scheffler remained handcuffed in the backseat of a police cruiser, he said Gillis didn't identify himself as a police officer when he told him to stop. He said Gillis reached into his vehicle, grabbed his shoulder and hit him.
"It seemed to be a little bit over aggressive because the entrance was open," Scheffler tells police. "I pulled a little bit because I was afraid, I thought he was going to start hitting me and I didn't know who he was, he didn't tell me he was a police officer."
In another clip, Gillis is heard admitting his camera wasn't recording because he "wasn't expecting to get runover."
Scheffler, sitting in the backseat of the cruiser, is heard apologizing to Gillis multiple times.
Scheffler: "Are you the one I grabbed?"
Gillis: "Yes. You hurt my wrist, my ankle, my knee, and you ripped my pants."
Sgt. Jeremy Allen wrote in the report that Gillis used "tactically poor decision making" when reaching into Scheffler's vehicle while it was in drive. Allen said whether Gillis' arm was "pinned" by Scheffler, as Gillis claimed, was "immaterial" had Gillis not "crossed the plain into the vehicle's passenger compartment."
Two other officers were disciplined for not activating their body cameras during the incident.
One of the officers, Kelvin Watkins, said had his bodycam been turned on it would have captured the moments before Scheffler's arrest and him asking Gillis if he was a police officer.
Scheffler was booked in jail and charged with felony 2nd degree assault of a police officer; 3rd degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. All charges were dropped May 29.
"Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was 'a big misunderstanding' is corroborated by the evidence," Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said after the hearing. "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, however Mr. Scheffler's actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses."
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