All of Scottie Scheffler's charges against him were dropped after his arrest during the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club about two weeks ago. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell made a motion to dismiss all charges on Wednesday in Louisville.
Terry Meiners of NewsRadio 840 WHAS in Louisville reported earlier Wednesday that the charges would be dropped. Meiners said “the agreement stipulates that both sides agree not to pursue any legal action related to the ramifications of the May 17 arrest.”
Scheffler was arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship after a traffic “misunderstanding.” The superstar golfer was trying to navigate his way to Valhalla after a tragic traffic accident killed a worker of one of the tournament's vendors. A police officer who allegedly didn't recognize Scheffler tried to stop the golfer in his car before making the arrest.
The officer who made the arrest, Bryan Gillis, didn't have his bodycam on and faced an internal review of the incident, resulting in discipline. Louisville police alleged that Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground, which caused “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee” and damage to his “$80 pants…beyond repair.”
Scheffler was booked on 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. The No. 1 golfer in the world soon returned to Valhalla and wound up completing the tournament, finishing tied for eighth with a score of 13-under.
Scottie Scheffler arrest videos
The Louisville Police Department gave an update on the case last week and initially wasn't planning on dropping the charges against Scottie Scheffler. This update came with the release of video of Scheffler's arrest, which caused an uproar among fans because it seemed to show the police's side of the story was, at best, embellished.
Another video recently popped up online showing Scheffler in the back of a police car admitting he “should have stopped,” per TMZ. However, the golfer also said Gillis was “over aggressive” with his behavior and should have identified himself more clearly.
“It seemed to be a little bit over aggressive because the entrance was open,” Scheffler said in the video. “And 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. All I saw was the yellow jacket. I didn't know what he was doing.
“If I knew he was a police officer, I would have been much less afraid,” Scheffler said. “But panic kind of set in. As you can see, I'm still shaking because I was afraid. I didn't know who he was. He didn't say, ‘Police, get out of the car.' He just hit me with his flashlight and yelled, ‘Get out of the car.'”
Scheffler was set to be arraigned on June 3, but now the two sides will be putting this behind them. There were signs earlier in the week that the charges would be dropped.
What's next for Scheffler?
Scottie Scheffler was right back on the course the following weekend after the PGA Championship, participating in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Scheffler finished tied for second at 9-under behind winner Davis Riley, who cruised to victory at 14-under. Keegan Bradley also finished 9-under.
Scheffler got off to a rough start at Colonial, shooting a 72 after the news came that charges wouldn't be dropped yet. He responded with rounds of 65 and 63 before a 71 ruined his chances of winning.
Looking ahead now that his charges are dropped, Scheffler will not be playing in this week's RBC Canadian Open but is in the field for the Memorial Tournament the week after. That will then be followed up by the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Scheffler hasn't yet won the U.S. Open, with his best finish coming in 2022 when he tied for second.
Scheffler is No. 1 in the FedExCup standings and Official World Golf Ranking.
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