Charges against Scottie Scheffler dropped after Louisville arrest
Scheffler was arrested before his second round of the PGA Championship for allegedly ignoring a traffic officer and injuring him in the process.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WSMV) — Breaking update: The prosecution has decided to drop all charges against PGA golfer Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler’s offenses “do not satisfy the elements” of any crimes, the prosecutor said during a hearing in court on Wednesday, May 29.
Charges against Scottie Scheffler are expected to be dropped, sources say
Earlier: The Louisville Metro Police Department announced their internal investigation into the golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest on May 17.
Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel Lousiville Mayor Craig Greenberg addressed the media on Thursday morning, and Chief Gwinn-Villaroel said the LMPD officer involved in the incident violated policy by not activating his body camera in his vest.
The only footage available of the incident and subsequent arrest is from a fixed camera from the other side of Shelbyville Road, and dash camera footage from a nearby LMPD patrol car. Mayor Greenberg said they are not aware of any footage of the initial interaction between the officer and Scheffler.
The footage was made public via LMPD’s YouTube page, which can be found here.
The world’s top-ranked golfer, Scheffler, was arrested on the morning of May 1 on his way to prepare for the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
The bizarre incident was witnessed by ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who took video of the arrest and broke the story.
Scheffler was in handcuffs before dawn in the back of a police car, and some six hours later, he signed for a 5-under 66 and was right in the mix on Friday at the PGA Championship.
“I feel like my head is still spinning,” Scheffler said.
The world’s No. 1 player was driving to Valhalla about 6 a.m. when he ran into traffic, unaware police were investigating a pedestrian — 69-year-old John Mills, who worked for a vendor at the tournament — being struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
Scheffler was arrested for failing to follow police instructions. The arrest report indicated a Louisville Metro police officer was dragged to the ground as Scheffler’s car drove by, causing swelling and abrasions on the officer’s left wrist. Scheffler said it was a “chaotic situation” and never intended to disregard the police instructions. “A big misunderstanding,” he said.
The reigning Masters champion clipped and clawed his way to a final score of 13-under, which landed tied for 8th in the PGA Championship. An incredible result considering the circumstances which included his very first time in a jail cell. Xander Schauffele went on to win his first major on Sunday.
Scheffler was slated to appear in court on Tuesday but had already returned to his home in Dallas, Texas. His attorney was successful in postponing the arraignment until June 3. Scheffler is required to be in court for that arraignment.
*This story contains some reporting from the Associated Press.
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