By Trend News Line 2024-05-23 17:07:37.
A Louisville police officer violated department policy when he failed to turn on his body-worn camera during a traffic incident involving golf star Scottie Scheffler during the PGA Championship, authorities said Thursday. The golfer, ranked No. 1 in the world, was driving near the Valhalla Golf Club on May 17 when authorities allege he drove past a police roadblock and injured an officer with his vehicle. He was arrested hours before his second-round tee time at the year’s second major.
**Officer’s Failure to Activate Body-Worn Camera**
Scheffler, 27, was arrested on charges of second-degree assault of a police officer — a felony — as well as third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic, according to police. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 3. Unfortunately, there is no body camera footage of the incident that led to Scheffler’s arrest, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. The officer involved in the interaction, identified as Detective Bryan Gillis, should have turned on his body-worn camera but did not, Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a press conference.
**Corrective Action Taken**
Following an internal investigation of Scheffler’s arrest, the chief said Gillis has received a corrective action for failing to turn on his body-worn camera. “We understand the seriousness of the failure to capture this interaction, which is why our officer has received corrective action for this policy violation,” Gwinn-Villaroel said.
**Transparency Amid Legal Proceedings**
The Louisville Metro Police Department released footage that shows Scottie Scheffler being led in handcuffs on May 17, 2024. Police also released footage from two cameras that captured the time of Scheffler’s arrest. The dashcam of a police car captured the golfer being led away in handcuffs, while a fixed pole camera showed the scene, including multiple parked buses and flashing lights. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg emphasized the importance of transparency during the ongoing legal proceedings. “Transparency is incredibly important to our administration, to LMPD, to our community,” Greenberg said during the briefing.
**Incident Details**
The arrest occurred about an hour after a deadly accident near the golf course. Around 5 a.m. that day, a man was fatally struck by a shuttle bus as he tried to cross a road near the course holding the PGA Championship, according to a statement released by the Louisville Metro Police Department. The victim was identified as PGA Championship volunteer John Mills. In a police form on his failure to activate his body-worn camera, Gillis wrote he was directing traffic following the accident in front of a gate.
**Scheffler’s Side of the Story**
Scheffler has called the incident a “big misunderstanding” and said that he was “proceeding as directed by police officers.” “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” Scheffler said in a statement on social media. His attorney, Steve Romines, has stated that they plan to plead not guilty at Scheffler’s arraignment and are prepared to litigate the case.
**Legal Proceedings**
Romines has previously said they contend that Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong and that all evidence supports their claims. “All the evidence that continues to come out continues to support what Scottie said all along — this was a chaotic situation and a miscommunication, and he didn’t do anything wrong,” Romines said. The legal proceedings are ongoing, and the courts will proceed accordingly, as stated by Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel during the briefing.
In summary, the incident involving Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at the PGA Championship has raised questions about the actions of both the golfer and the police officer involved. With ongoing legal proceedings and differing accounts of the events that transpired, the full details and implications of the incident remain to be seen..
– Officer involved in Scottie Scheffler arrest violated body-worn camera policy
– Officer involved in Scottie Scheffler arrest violated body-worn camera policy Chief.