Scottie Scheffler’s Arresting Officer Disciplined For Not Activating a Bodycam

(CTN News) – Outside the PGA Championship, Kentucky police detained world-class golfer Scottie Scheffler. Authorities claim that because the officer did not have his body-worn camera on when he approached the golfer’s vehicle, he was dragged to the ground during the incident.

The officer is consequently subject to “corrective action.”

During a news conference, Louisville representatives said they were not aware of any video footage of the initial meeting between Scheffler and Louisville Detective Bryan Gillis, which happened last Friday on a dreary and rainy morning outside the Valhalla Golf Club gates.

But according to a report written by Gillis, Scottie Scheffler “demanded to be let in and proceeded forward… I was dragged/knocked down by the driver” because he couldn’t turn on the camera.

Authorities released video from a street pole camera on Thursday. Scottie Scheffler SUV appears to be pulling into the golf club entry, prompting an officer to hurry over and maybe collide with the vehicle as it comes to a stop. The camera’s distance prevents it from capturing all the details of the meeting.

Another video shows Scheffler being escorted by police in handcuffs and recorded by a police car’s dashcam.

According to the mayor, further video or evidence related to the matter won’t be released “until the conclusion of the legal process,” as requested by the local prosecutor in charge of the case.

A misunderstanding led to Scottie Scheffler’s arrest for allegedly injuring Gillis and disobeying directions, according to the golfer.

According to Scottie Scheffler’s attorney, his client isn’t to blame.

Romines declared he was not interested in settling the case because Scottie Scheffler had done nothing wrong. As on Friday, we are in the same position. It’s either going to be a shot or it’s going to be written off.”

The local police chief stated that officers in the department are obliged to maintain a “constant state of operational readiness” with regard to their body-worn cameras.

Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel says Detective Gillis should have activated his body-worn camera, but he didn’t. “His failure to comply with LMPD policy regarding uniforms and equipment is a violation.”

The internal inquiry report states that Gillis should have been directing traffic with his camera in standby mode prior to the collision with Scheffler.

For the infraction, Gillis “received corrective action,” according to Gwinn-Villaroel. Gillis was “counseled by a member of his command,” completed a “failure to record” form as mandated by protocol, and faced a “performance observation,” according to the document made public on Thursday.

The statement of Gillis describes how he was called in by the Highway Patrol to investigate a fatal crash at Valhalla as a result of seeing Scheffler’s vehicle “traveling in the opposing lanes heading towards me”.

Scheffler ran into Gillis just before dawn on his way to Valhalla Golf Club to play in the tournament’s second round.

After Gillis approached Scheffler’s car on foot, Scottie Scheffler”refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground, according to the police report. Gillis stated that he was hospitalized for his injuries and that his uniform pants were damaged during the accident.

Scottie Scheffler spent a few hours in jail before returning to the golf course in time for his tee time at 10:08 a.m. He tied for ninth place on Sunday and took home approximately $520,000 in prize money.

His arraignment on four counts, including second-degree criminal assault on a police officer, is scheduled for June 3.

In 2020, the controversial body camera policy of Louisville police was put into place in the wake of the shooting death of 26-year-old Black woman Breonna Taylor by police during an attempted drug bust. It was not necessary for the plainclothes officers to have been carrying body cameras at the moment they shot Taylor after serving the warrant.

The new policy mandates that all officers turn on the camera “prior to engaging in all law enforcement activities and encounters”. The police chief in charge at the time of Taylor’s death was later fired after officers at the scene of another fatal shooting forgot to turn on their body cameras.

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