Three officers violated policy in Scottie Scheffler’s arrest, probe findings allege

Scottie Scheffler had charges against him dismissed in late May. The world’s top golfer was arrested on May 17 outside the Valhalla Golf Club just before the second round of the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.

An investigation revealed that three Louisville Metro Police officers in the vicinity during Scheffler’s arrest did not activate their body cameras.

Detectives Bryan Gillis and Kelvin Watkins, along with Officer Javar Downs, were found to have violated police policy by not turning on their body cameras. A 63-page document obtained by WDRB of Louisville included photos and an investigative file. Last month, Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel announced that Gillis faced “corrective action” after an internal investigation found that he did not adhere to proper procedures by not activating his body camera.

According to Gwinn-Villaroel, “Detective Gillis was supposed to activate his body-worn camera but failed to do so. His failure to comply is a violation of the LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment, specifically the body-worn camera category.”

Scheffler, aged 27, was initially charged with four offenses, including felony assault for injuries sustained by an LMPD officer during the incident.

Gillis had previously claimed that Scheffler’s vehicle dragged him. An arrest report stated that Scheffler was driving a PGA courtesy car with credentials when an officer alleged that Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” the officer to the ground. Gillis’ body camera did capture Scheffler making a phone call from jail. In the call, Scheffler mentioned that he was unsure if Gillis was a police officer.

“I was there trying to calm the situation, and then I was desperately trying to find a police officer, not realizing he was one,” Scheffler stated. “It’s my mistake.