Louisville police detective Bryan Gillis, the officer who arrested world no. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, has been reprimanded for his failure to wear or turn on his bodycam.
Gillis claims he was knocked down by Scheffler’s vehicle in the early morning hours of Friday May 17, before he eventually arrested the golfer outside the Valhalla Golf Club for the PGA Championship.
But he failed to properly turn on his bodycam – which led to some form of ‘corrective action’ from the police department, according to police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
‘Detective Gillis should have turned on his body-worn camera, but did not,’ Gwinn-Villaroel said at a press conference alongside Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg.
‘His failure to do so is a violation of the LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment.’
Louisville police detective Bryan Gillis faced ‘corrective action’ for not turning his bodycam on
Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of Kentucky Police spoke at a brief press conference
She continued, ‘He was performing a law-enforcement action as defined in our policy… We understand the seriousness of the failure to capture this interaction, which is why our officer has received corrective action for this policy violation.’
In a police report, Gillis gave his account of the incident – saying that he tried to stop Scheffler, who ‘demanded to be let in’ to Valhalla.
‘While directing traffic in front of Gate 1 the PGA personnel stopped a bus from entering Gate 1,’ Gillis’ account read.
‘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:
‘[Scheffler] 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.’
Stunning images showed the reigning Masters champion being hauled off to jail in handcuffs as captured by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
Despite speculation that the charges against Scheffler could be dropped, officials vowed to ‘respect the legal process’ and ‘let it play out’.
Scheffler is set to be arraigned in court next month on charges of felony second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
Scheffler was arrested last Friday and faces multiple charges including second-degree assault
In remarkable footage the two-time Masters winner was seen being led into a police car
In Kentucky, second-degree assault is a Class C felony which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
‘We are all looking to move forward,’ Mayor Greenberg said. ‘But we have to respect the legal process. And that’s what we are going to do. We are going to let that play out.’
Officials also released two new videos of the scene outside Valhalla, as well as a ‘body-worn camera failure to record form’, which detailed testimony from Detective Gillis.
After the press conference, Steve Romines – the lawyer representing Scheffler – released a statement.
‘(This) won’t impact my case at all. Our position is the same as it was last Friday. Scottie Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong, we’re not interested in settling the case, we’ll either try it or it will be dismissed,’ he said.
‘It’s very simple. 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.
‘We’re prepared to litigate the case if we need to. If we don’t need to, fine, but our position remains the same: it will either be dismissed or we’ll go to trial… we’ll let the process play out.
Scheffler will return to action on the PGA Tour at the Charles Schwab Classic on Thursday
He added: ‘My role is to represent Scottie Scheffler and that’s what I’ll continue to do. Nothing has changed since my comment last week: he didn’t do anything wrong.
‘We will go to trial or the case will be dismissed. We have no interest in settling the case, there are no discussions regarding that. We’re prepared to litigate as need be.
Romines was aware of the video which was subsequently released on Thursday. ‘I’ve seen everything that there is to see. Everything out there supports exactly what Scottie has said from the start.’
Scheffler has teed off at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his own backyard in the city of Fort Worth, Texas earlier Thursday afternoon.
