LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville police officer who arrested professional golfer Scottie Scheffler on May 17 has been disciplined for not using his bodycam video during the arrest.
At a news conference on Thursday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel highlighted the importance of officers using their bodycam video.
"Especially here in Louisville, after the recent past, activating body-worn cameras is critically important for our police department to have evidence, maintain the community's trust and be transparent," Greenberg said.
New video of Scheffler's arrest just before the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla was also released Thursday, however, Greenberg said at this time officials are "not aware" of any video footage that captures the initial interaction between LMPD Detective Bryan Gillis and Scheffler.
Gwinn-Villaroel said Gillis has received "corrective action" for violating the department's bodycam policy.
Pole camera video from across the street shows Scheffler’s PGA-branded vehicle move past shuttles and an officer wearing a yellow vest appears to be seen chasing after the car waving his arms to get the attention of the driver. It’s unclear if the officer is Gillis or not as no bodycam video of the interaction has been made available.
From the perspective of the pole cam's 4-minute video, there doesn't appear to be an officer being “dragged to the ground” as mentioned in Scheffler’s arrest citation, which said Gillis’ $80 uniform pants were “damaged beyond repair.”
The officer appears to talk to Scheffler for a few seconds. More officers slowly begin walking toward the vehicle and within a minute, Scheffler is out of the vehicle and placed into handcuffs.
Dashcam video from an LMPD cruiser, which has no audio, shows Scheffler being escorted by two other officers to another cruiser off-screen at around 6:03 a.m. Minutes later, a group of officers gathered in front of the vehicle’s dashcam, presumably gathering information about the incident.
WHAS11 has requested photos of Gillis' pants, however an LMPD spokesperson denied the request at this time.
"There's evidence we've turned over for review in this case that cannot be released to include pictures of Det. Gillis' injuries and clothing," LMPD Sgt. Matt Sanders said in a statement.
Days after Scheffler's arrest, LMPD determined Gillis violated the department's Standard Operating procedures, specifically 4.31.6, Body-Worn Camera - Procedures and 4.31.7, Body Worn camera - Operations.
Gwinn-Villaroel said Gillis "should have turned on his body camera but did not."
"We understand the seriousness of the failure to capture this interaction," she added. "This corrective action has been notated on a performance observation form, which is in line with our disciplinary protocol and practices."
The current policy says responding officers are to activate their cameras before arriving on-scene and exiting their car and before engaging in any law enforcement encounters.
"Gillis did not have his body worn camera operational ready as required by our policy," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "He was performing a law enforcement action as defined in our policy."
The chief said Gillis was counseled by his supervisor.
According to a memorandum, Gillis said he wasn't recording because he was responding to the fatal incident on Shelbyville Road prior to his reporting time for the PGA. He said when he arrived on scene he "immediately started directing traffic in front of Gate 1, and never powered" his bodycam.
RELATED: Louisville man identified as pedestrian struck by shuttle bus and killed outside Valhalla Golf Club
"While directing traffic in front of Gate 1 the PGA personnel stopped a bus from entering Gate 1 . I observed a vehicle traveling in the opposing lanes coming at me. I stopped the driver and advised him he could not proceed because of the bus. He demanded to be let in, and proceeded forward against my directions. I was dragged/knocked down by the driver. I then proceeded to arrest the driver," Gillis explained in an LMPD document.
"We want to move forward. Mr. Scheffler has made it clear that he wants to move forward. I know that everyone else involved in LMPD wants to move forward," Greenberg said. "LMPD needs to be focused on reducing the amount of violence crime in our city, reducing the amount of gun violence, protecting and keeping people safe. That is what they do everyday, that is what they've done since last Friday when they were working out with the detail at Valhalla and Shelbyville Road and that's what they will continue to do."
Are Scottie Scheffler's charges dropped?
At this time, it does not appear LMPD will be dropping any of Scheffler's charges. Greenberg said he understands there are still many unanswered questions, but city officials are going to "respect the legal process."
Scheffler is expected to be in court on June 3 for his arraignment after it was delayed.
He is charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. The assault charge is a felony offense.
In a statement, the Jefferson County Attorney's office said no decisions have been made in Scheffler's case.
“The Jefferson County Attorney’s office has continued to receive evidence and has yet to conduct final interviews with investigators regarding the charges filed by LMPD against Mr. Scheffler,” said Josh Abner, a spokesman for the office. “As we have stated previously, no decisions have been made and our review continues.”
Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romine said the new video doesn't impact his case much.
"Scottie Scheffler didn't do anything wrong. We're not interested in settling the case. We will either try it or it will be dismissed," Romine said Thursday. "It's very simple. All the evidence that continues to come out just continues to support what Scottie said all along. This was a chaotic situation and a miscommunication and he didn't do anything wrong."
Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?
According to a police report, an LMPD officer was directing traffic into Gate 1 of Valhalla Golf Club due to the road being closed in both directions from an earlier fatal crash involving a pedestrian and a shuttle bus at 5:07 a.m.
The memorandum said Gillis arrived at 5:16 a.m. and was assisting with traffic control. At 6:02 a.m., Gillis and Scheffler had an interaction that resulted in Scheffler's arrest.
Scheffler allegedly attempted to drive past the police officer, in a marked player's vehicle with visible credentials, to get into the club.
The police report said the officer stopped Scheffler and tried to give him instructions, but Scheffler allegedly refused to listen and accelerated forward "dragging" the officer to the ground.
LMPD said the officer suffered "pain, swelling, and abrasions" to his left wrist and knee. He was taken to the hospital for further medical treatment by EMS. The report said the officer's $80 pants were "damaged beyond repair."
Scheffler was detained and booked at Metro Corrections -- where he was released roughly an hour later. He returned to Valhalla to continue playing in the tournament, arriving about 45 minutes before his 10:08 tee time.
Scheffler posted a statement to his Instagram story saying:
“This morning, I 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. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today. Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
Scheffler was originally scheduled to be arraigned May 21, but that hearing was pushed back to June 3.
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