LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Charges have been dropped against Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, who was accused of assaulting a Louisville police officer during a traffic incident outside the PGA Championship earlier this month.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell made a motion to dismiss all charges Wednesday inside a courtroom at the Hall of Justice, following widespread criticism over how Louisville officials handled the arrest.
The May 17 confrontation between the famous golfer and a Louisville Metro Police detective kicked off a national media storm shortly after it was first reported by eyewitnesses and later confirmed by officials.
According to an arrest citation, Scheffler ignored directions from Detective Bryan Gillis while trying to bypass a traffic jam caused by an earlier fatal collision on Shelbyville Road outside Valhalla Golf Club.
Police say Scheffler “accelerated forward, dragging Gillis to the ground” during the encounter, causing Gillis to suffer “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.”
Scheffler was arrested at 6:20 a.m. and booked into Metro Corrections on charges of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
He was quickly released on personal recognizance and returned to Valhalla Golf Club, where he called the incident a “big misunderstanding.”
Soon after the arrest, LMPD confirmed Gillis violated department protocol when he failed to activate his body camera during the arrest.
LMPD conducted an internal investigation into Gillis’s actions and required him to get counseling from “a member of his command staff,” according to a memorandum released by LMPD.