Video of Scottie Scheffler's detainment released; officer punished for policy breach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (TND) — The video footage of pro golfer Scottie Scheffler being detained during last week's PGA Championship and details about the internal investigation were released Thursday by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).

During a news conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg noted that officials "are not aware of any video footage at the time of the initial interaction" between Scheffler and Det. Bryan Gillis but footage will be released from a fixed pole camera and a police dash cam.

Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel added that Gillis violated the body camera policy when he did not turn it on while detaining Scheffler and received "corrective action."

"His failure to do so is a violation of the LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment, subject category body-worn camera," she said.

Mayor Greenberg said the legal process will continue and Scheffler is still scheduled to attend his arraignment that was rescheduled for June 3.

Scheffler's attorney Steve Romines responded to the news conference and said his client was not at fault.

"Our position is the same as it was last Friday, Scottie Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong, we’re not interested in settling the case," Romines said. "We’ll either try it or it will be dismissed."

The official findings and conclusion of the internal investigation state Gillis should have at least had his camera in standby mode "while interacting with the public in a law enforcement capacity directing traffic."

According to the document, Gillis completed a "failure to record" form and was "counseled by a member of his command and a performance observation was completed."

Gillis wrote in the document that he was requested to respond to a fatal accident at Valhalla when he saw Scheffler's vehicle "traveling in the opposing lanes coming at me."

Scheffler was driving before dawn to Valhalla Golf Club to play in the second round of the tournament when he encountered Gillis.

Gillis, who approached Scheffler’s car on foot, wrote in an arrest report that Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

After being released from jail Friday in time for his tee time, The New York Times reported Scheffler stated his "situation will be handled" and that "it was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding."

Scheffler released a statement via his Instagram story shortly after his release:

This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers," he wrote. "It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today. Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.

Mayor Greenberg posted a statement on X identifying the pedestrian killed as tournament vendor John Mills and conveyed his condolences to the family.

The Master's champion is facing several charges including second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.