Louisville Officer Who Arrested Scottie Scheffler: ‘Yes, the Department Makes Us Buy $80 Pants’
After all charges against Scottie Scheffler were dropped with prejudice on Wednesday, Louisville Metro Police Detective Bryan Gillis issued his own statement, and it was a doozy.
Scheffler was accused of assaulting Gillis during the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Earlier this week, the Louisville Police disciplined Gillis after determining that the detective had violated a policy regarding body-camera footage.
Gillis claimed that Scheffler disobeyed his orders and dragged him to the ground with his car, causing injuries to the officer and damage to his clothing.
According to an arrest citation, Scheffler ignored directions from Gillis in front of Valhalla Golf Club hours before his second-round tee time at the 106th PGA Championship.
Despite the lack of evidence supporting his claims, Gillis did not waver in his account of the incident.
“To be clear, I was dragged by the car, I went to the ground, and I received visible injuries to my knees and wrists,” he wrote in his statement. “I’m going to recover from it, and it will be OK. This is the extent of my commentary on the incident.”
Gillis also expressed his concern for Jon Mills, a 69-year-old security officer who was struck and killed on Shelbyville Road by a shuttle bus earlier that morning, causing a traffic backup and delaying the start of play on May 17.
Gillis concluded by wishing Scheffler and his family “all the best.” He included a postscript: “Yes, the department has us buying freaking $80 pants. To those concerned, they were indeed ruined. But Scottie, it’s all good. I never would’ve guessed I’d have the most famous pair of pants in the country for a few weeks because of this. Take care and be safe.”
It was the perfect conclusion to a bizarre incident that will be one of the great footnotes in recent major championship history.
Scheffler was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic. He was released on personal recognizance and returned to Valhalla, where he later called the incident a “big misunderstanding.”
Scheffler issued the following statement on his Instagram story:
“As I stated previously, this was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job, and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation.
“I appreciate the support during the past two weeks and want to again encourage everyone to remember the real tragedy of May 17. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with Jon Mills and his family, and I hope to personally offer my condolences now that the case is over. May Jon rest in peace.”
