Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning footage showing him handcuffed as he was taken to jail for allegedly failing to follow police orders during an investigation into the death of a pedestrian.
Within four hours, the world’s top-ranked golfer was arrested wearing sports shorts and a T-shirt, wearing an orange prison shirt for his mugshot, returned to Valhalla Golf Club in golf outfit and made his 10:08 a.m. start time for the second round.
The Louisville Metro Police Department said Scheffler was charged with four counts, including second-degree assault of a police officer after police say his vehicle dragged an officer to the ground.
Scheffler, in a statement, said the incident was a “big misunderstanding.”
“This morning, I was following the instructions of the police. It was a very chaotic situation, which is understandable given the tragic accident that happened earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do.
“It was never my intention to ignore any of the instructions. I hope to put that aside and focus on golf today. Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in this morning’s accident. It really puts everything into perspective.
His lawyer, Steve Romines in Louisville, also described it as a misunderstanding and told the Associated Press: “We will litigate the case as it comes.” »
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said tournament vendor John Mills was the pedestrian killed and offered condolences to his family. Greenberg also said the incident involving Scheffler and LMPD was “unfortunate” and that police were investigating.
Mayor Greenberg’s full statement is below:
“This morning, our city experienced a tragic accident that claimed the life of John Mills, a Louisvillian who will be greatly missed by his family and our community. We focus on this family who lost a loved one. I spoke with members of Mr. Mills’ family to convey our city’s condolences. Following this tragedy, LMPD stopped traffic to assist in its investigation into the fatal crash. It is unfortunate that an incident occurred between an LMPD officer and Mr. Scheffler as he attempted to gain entry. Valhalla. LMPD is fully investigating this incident and the legal process will continue. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. We remain focused on the tragic loss of life and will share more information on both issues as it becomes available.
Traffic was backed up for about a mile in both directions on the only road into Valhalla in the morning darkness with light rain, with dozens of police vehicles flashing red and blue lights near the entrance .
Police said a pedestrian was struck by a bus while crossing the road in a lane designated for tournament traffic and was pronounced dead at the scene around 5:09 a.m.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington witnessed the incident and said Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who was scheduled to start the second round at 8:48 a.m., passed a police officer shortly after 6 a.m. in his SUV with marks on the door. indicating that it was a PGA Championship vehicle.
The officer yelled at him to stop, then held on to the car until Scheffler stopped about 10 yards later, Darlington said. The officer, identified in the arrest report as Det. Gillis, was dragged “to the ground” and suffered “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist” after the car “accelerated forward,” according to Louisville police.
Scheffler was booked at 7:28 a.m. – about 2 1/2 hours before his updated start time after the second round was delayed due to the death. In addition to the assault charge, he was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey the traffic signal of an officer directing traffic.
“The bottom line is he was doing exactly as he was told in a vehicle marked with identifying information,” Romines said. “He didn’t do anything intentionally wrong.”
The officer was wearing a high-visibility reflective vest when he stopped Scheffler’s car to give instructions, the arrest document states. Gillis was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Darlington said police took Scheffler out of the car, pushed him against the car and immediately handcuffed him.
“Scheffler was then led to the police car, placed in the back, handcuffed, very stunned by what was happening, he looked towards me while he was handcuffed and said, ‘Please Please, help me,’” Darlington said. I very clearly didn’t know what was going on in the situation. It evolved very quickly, very quickly, very aggressively.
Louisville Metro Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell told Louisville radio station WHAS that the man was crossing Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. and the bus did not see him. Mitchell said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Scheffler was released by police and returned to the course at 9:12 a.m. He went to the practice area around 9:30 a.m. and was greeted by fans – one of whom shouted “Free Scottie!” and others arrived later wearing “Free Scottie” T-shirts.
Scheffler appeared to be his normal, relaxed self, sharing a few laughs on the driving range. Then he came out and birdied his first hole of the day after sticking his approach shot to 3 feet.
As cars were backed into the morning darkness, other PGA-marked vehicles attempted to move slowly toward the entrance. Traffic finally began to gradually move a little before 7 a.m.
It was a surreal start to what has already been a week of wild weather — the Masters champion and top-ranked player in the world, dressed in workout clothes, his hands cuffed behind his back amid flashing lights.
Darlington, the ESPN reporter, said police didn’t really know who Scheffler was. He said a police officer asked him to leave and when he identified himself as media, he was told, “There’s nothing you can do.” He’s going to prison.
Darlington said another officer then approached with a clipboard and asked if he knew the name of the person they had handcuffed.
Louisville police have attracted negative national attention in recent years after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020 and a federal investigation into their policing practices.
A Justice Department report released last year said Louisville officers used excessive force and conducted searches based on invalid warrants. The report said black motorists in Louisville were more likely to be searched during traffic stops and that officers used neck restraints, police dogs and Tasers against people who posed no imminent threat.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was shot and killed by police officers who came to her apartment with a warrant that federal authorities said was forged.
The PGA of America, which operates the PGA Championship, offered its condolences to Mills’ family and said in a statement: “Regarding the incident involving Scottie Scheffler, we are cooperating fully as local authorities review what happened.”
Scheffler is coming off four victories in his last five tournaments, including his second Masters title. He has been at home in Dallas for the past three weeks, awaiting the birth of his first child, a son born May 8.
Scheffler finished the day in third place behind Colin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele. He is trying to become only the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two major tournaments of the year.
Associated Press writer Dylan Lovan contributed.
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