Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, was arrested Friday morning as he was driving to Valhalla Golf Club to play in the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship.
According to ESPN, Scheffler reportedly drove across the median to elude police who were responding to the scene of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a shuttle bus on Friday morning.
The PGA Tour announced that it would delay the start of the championship by one hour and 20 minutes. The second round was scheduled to start at 7:15 a.m. ET but will now begin at 8:35 a.m. ET. Scheffler's tee time was at 8:48 a.m. ET.
Scheffler has won four of his last five starts and began the 2024 PGA Championship at four under par, tied for 12th.
Here's what you need to know about his arrest.
Scottie Scheffler Arrested: Latest News, Updates at the PGA Championship
Scheffler was arrested early Friday morning after reportedly driving across the median to get around police who were on the scene at Valhalla Golf Club.
ESPN reports that around 5 a.m. ET, a pedestrian was trying to cross Shelbyville Street when he was struck by a shuttle bus in the bus lane. The man was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Sports Illustrated's Pat Ford, Scheffler has been released on bail, and ESPN reported that the city of Louisville is “moving remarkably quickly to try to resolve this matter today.”
Scheffler arrived at the course at about 9:12 a.m. ET, but did not respond to requests for comment from media waiting for him. Scheffler reportedly only told ESPN reporter Marty Smith, “I love you, Marty.” He then arrived at the course at 9:34 a.m. ET and began practice.
According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, Scheffler released the following statement:
“This morning I was following the instructions of a police officer. Given the tragic accident that had just occurred it was understandably a very chaotic situation and there was a significant misunderstanding as to what I believed was required of me. It was never my intention to disregard instructions and I hope to be able to put this aside today and focus on golf.”
Of course, everyone involved in the tournament would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family of the man who lost his life in the accident this morning. We truly feel that everything was right.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday morning, the day after Scheffler's arrest, that there was no body camera footage of the arrest, but that there was footage from a camera across the street that would be released soon, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. The mayor said the video of Scheffler's initial encounter with police has not yet been found.
Darlington reported that Scheffler thought he was going around a security guard, not a police officer. Scheffler was told by the officer to stop, but when Scheffler did not stop, the officer caught up to Scheffler's vehicle. Scheffler drove about another 10 yards before stopping, and when he did stop, the officer grabbed Scheffler's arm and tried to drag him out of the car, but Scheffler opened the door.
When Scheffler opened his mouth, the officers dragged him out of the car, pinned him against the vehicle and handcuffed him. The officers then made Scheffler, in handcuffs, walk to a patrol car. As they walked, Scheffler reportedly looked at Darlington and said, “Help me.”
Darlington said police did not know Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, and that Scheffler was reportedly driving a car marked as a PGA Tour vehicle.
According to a police report obtained by ESPN's Michael Eaves:Scheffler was stopped by a police detective and after receiving commands, he “failed to comply and accelerated, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” according to the report. The detective was taken to hospital with “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee,” and his pants were “irreparably damaged,” according to the report.
A few weeks later, Louisville police released photos of Gillis' ripped pants and “abrasions” on his left knee and wrist.
LMPD has released a trove of previously redacted documents from the arrest of Scottie Scheffler.
Here's the story of Detective Brian Gillis' knee “injury” and his infamous $80 pants. pic.twitter.com/b1Yb3dhloh
— Lachlan McLean 📺 (@LachTalk) June 7, 2024
Schaeffler's lawyer, Steve Romines, told reporters after Schaeffler arrived at the track that Schaeffler was unaware that the accident had changed traffic patterns. He said Schaeffler was licensed and cleared to pass, but was unaware that there had been an accident that would have changed the procedure for arriving at the track.
Asked if Scheffler ever disobeyed police, Romines said: “He was just doing what he was told to do.”
The PGA of America released the following statement regarding the incident involving the pedestrian and Mr. Scheffler:
We are saddened to learn of the tragic death this morning of an employee of one of our vendors who was struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is a heartbreaking incident for everyone involved with the PGA Championship. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and those involved.
Our primary concern today is with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while on his way to work. Regarding Scott Scheffler's case, we are fully cooperating with local authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident. As the legal process unfolds, we should direct any questions to Scheffler's attorney or local authorities.
According to a Louisville lawyer interviewed by Daniel Rapoport, the next step in the process is pretrial proceedings.
“Legally, authorities must question/assess the accused within 24 hours of arrest. The prosecutor's office will then recommend whether to continue or not pursue charges.”
According to Kevin Van Valkenburgh of No Laying Up, prosecutors do not plan to file charges against Scheffler.
However, according to Yahoo Sports, the world's No. 1-ranked golfer's arraignment has been postponed to June 3, so Scheffler may have to wait a little longer to have his situation resolved.
On Tuesday, May 21, Louisville Police released a statement saying their internal investigation into Scheffler's arrest is “still ongoing.”
“Any violations of regulations uncovered during the course of the investigation will be addressed appropriately in accordance with LMPD's disciplinary protocols,” the statement read. “Officers will be present on Thursday, May 23, 2024 to provide additional information regarding the investigation.”
As promised, Louisville police announced Thursday that the officer who arrested Scheffler did not have his body camera turned on while interacting with the world's No. 1-ranked golfer, thus violating police body camera regulations.
As a result, according to The Athletic's Brody Miller, “all that remains is footage of Paul's arrest.”
The arresting officer is receiving “corrective action” for his misdeeds. However, Louisville Police have no plans to drop the charges against Scheffler, and instead are “pushing them to court.” [to] Please proceed accordingly.”
Police in Louisville, Kentucky, say the officer who arrested world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler violated department policy by not turning on his body camera during the interaction.
More info: https://t.co/nbyOAWFiLV #NewsNationLive pic.twitter.com/8tBzlpuze9
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) May 23, 2024
Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romines, said the case will either be dismissed or will proceed to trial.
“We're not going to close this case,” he told The Athletic.
All of these charges were eventually dropped on May 29th.
Scottie Scheffler arrest video
Darlington shared a video in which, as officers make the arrest, one of the officers can be heard saying, “He's going to jail.”
Video of Scheffler's arrest can be found here: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
A week after the PGA Championship ended, Louisville police released video of the arrest.
Scottie Scheffler attacks
The Kentucky court charged Scheffler with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal damage to property, reckless driving and failing to obey a police officer's signal while directing traffic. Assault on a police officer is considered a Class C felony.
Scottie Scheffler's mugshot
According to Louisville Department of Corrections records, Scheffler was arrested at 7:28 a.m. ET on Friday.
A mugshot of Scottie Scheffler issued by the Louisville Department of Corrections. pic.twitter.com/bcJn54Nu5x
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 17, 2024
This post will be updated.