Rusty Weiss
New video has emerged of PGA golfer Scottie Scheffler detained in the back of a police vehicle in which he accuses the arresting officer of being “over-aggressive” and “hitting me with his flashlight.”
The footage appears to be from another officer’s bodycam, indicating at least one member of the Louisville Metro Police Department was aware of the policy regarding body-worn cameras.
The nearly 4-minute video was uploaded to Facebook last week. In it, the world’s number one golfer gives his side of the story which includes an admission that he was confused as to whether Officer Bryan Gillis was a police officer or a security guard giving wrong information.
Scheffler admits to being a bit impatient about being behind schedule but also claims Gillis struck him with his flashlight during the course of reaching into his vehicle.
“So I’m pulling in here and the police officer up there told me to come the opposite way with the traffic and then come in. But as I was pulling in, my window was down, and the officer told me to stop,” he explains. “First of all, I did not know that he was a police officer, I thought he was one of the security guards that was mistaken.”
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Scheffler Says Officer Hit Him With Flashlight, Wasn’t Sure If He’d Keep Hitting Him
After the second officer in the video questioned him as to why that matters, Scottie Scheffler affirmed it should not have and continued with his recall of events.
“Yes you’re right. I should have stopped,” said Scheffler. “I was getting quite impatient because I’m quite late for my tee time. As he reached into the car he grabbed my shoulder and hit me.”
“Trying to get you to stop, right?” the officer interjects.
“Yes. It seemed to be a little over-aggressive because the entrance was open. I pulled forward because I thought he was going to start hitting me and I didn’t know who he was,” Scheffler continued. “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.”
The Masters champion said at that point, panic had set in because he wasn’t sure what was happening or who he was dealing with.
“He didn’t say police, he just hit me with his flashlight and yelled get out of the car.”
RELATED: Now The Police Involved In Scottie Scheffler’s Arrest Are Under Investigation
Officer Accounts Are Inconsistent
In the new video of the Scotie Scheffler arrest, the second officer seems to affirm that Gillis was dragged to the ground.
However, a pole camera subsequently released of the incident doesn’t appear to show anybody being dragged to the ground as the golfer pulls forward.
Full Scottie Scheffler “pole video” from when he originally pulls up and then looks to have his vehicle smacked by the Police Officer before being arrested.
— Tyler Tamboline (@ToeTagginTambo) May 23, 2024
Video goes until the end where you can see him look back at @JeffDarlington for help (from previous information received) pic.twitter.com/Hp4TIyPVZK
Additionally, a witness to the arrest claims that if anything, Gillis may have tripped due to the rainy and dark conditions, and possibly the existence of a median.
The official arrest report also states that Gillis tried to give Scheffler instructions but the PGA tour pro had already grown concerned due to him having “grabbed my arm.”
Scheffler has been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals after trying to navigate around an officer directing traffic.
The first charge is a felony punishable by anywhere between 5 and 10 years in prison. An arraignment date has been set for June 3rd, at 9 AM, as the Louisville police have insisted on moving forward in court despite the evidence pointing to the incident being little more than a misunderstanding.
Officer Gillis was cited by an internal audit as having violated policy by not turning on his body-worn camera during the incident with Scheffler.