The criminal charges against world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed following his arrest earlier this month at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
"Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler," Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said at a brief hearing Wednesday.
"Mr. Scheffler's actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during the misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses," O'Connell added. The judge then accepted his motion to have the charges dismissed.
Scheffler, 27, was taken into custody by Louisville Police on May 17 outside Valhalla Golf Club ahead of the second round of the tournament. He was booked on four criminal counts, including assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
Sports
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler shoots 66 at PGA Championship after arrest
A police report obtained by Scripps News says he attempted to drive around traffic that was caused by a fatal accident near the country club. The report says Scheffler "refused to comply" with an officer directing traffic and "accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground."
The officer was reportedly transported to a nearby hospital to be examined for "pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee."
Surveillance footage released by Louisville police last week appeared to show Gillis approaching Scheffler's vehicle on foot before stopping him from entering the golf course. Scheffler can later be seen being led away in handcuffs.
In a statement released by the PGA Tour following his arrest, Scheffler described the incident as a "big misunderstanding."
"I was proceeding as directed by police officers," he said. "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."
Louisville police said last week they were looking into whether officers violated any department policies during the arrest. Det. Gillis has since been disciplined for not having his body camera activated at the time of the incident.
