Bryan Gillis, the Louisville police detective who arrested Scottie Scheffler in Valhalla earlier this month, has been outraged that his “honesty and integrity” were called into question after all charges against the player No. 1 golfer in the world were retired on Wednesday.
Scheffler had faced four charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer, following the dramatic events of May 17; when he was arrested and taken away in handcuffs after reaching the second round of the PGA Championship.
The 27-year-old was accused of speeding away in his car when Louisville officers told him to stop, knocking Gillis to the ground in the process, before being arrested and booked into a local prison in a series of surprising events.
On Wednesday, however, Scheffler was acquitted of all charges after the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the case, admitting that his claim that it was simply a big misunderstanding is now “corroborated by the evidence.” .
In light of that result, Gillis has released a statement after Scheffler avoided criminal charges; in which he praised the golf star for agreeing to move on from the incident himself, while also showing respect for the family of John Mills, the 69-year-old man who was hit by a bus and killed outside Valhalla in the early morning.
Detective Bryan Gillis has spoken out after charges against Scottie Scheffler were dropped
Scheffler was arrested earlier this month on his way to the PGA Championship in Valhalla
“A tragic incident occurred and Mr. Mills' family remains in my family's thoughts and prayers,” he said of the fatal collision, which caused the traffic backup that led to Scheffler's arrest. “This was a chaotic situation for everyone involved. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the vicinity was my highest priority.
'Mr. Scheffler and I agree that there will be no ill will from now on. Instead of giving a negative public reaction, he chose to speak with dignity, humility and respect. My family and I appreciate it.
However, Gillis hit out at Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romines, for claiming his client could file his own lawsuit after being “falsely arrested” on the morning in question.
“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here,” Romines said after the charges were dropped. “And I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they're wrong … to go to jail.”
Scheffler's legal representative also claimed that agents “tried to put words” in his client's mouth outside of Valhalla. But Gillis has furiously denied the allegations, calling them “unfortunate and disturbing” while doubling down on his version of events.
“It was unfortunate and disturbing to hear Steve Romines' comment today stating that a 'false arrest' was made and challenging my honesty and integrity,” the detective continued. “I would be surprised and disappointed if Mr. Scheffler actually had any part in making these statements.
“To be clear, I took drugs in my car, went to the ground and had visible injuries to my knees and wrist. I will recover and be fine. That is the extent of my comment on the incident.
“The reality is there are more important things in the world right now than a back and forth about this. A person lost their life that day and a family lost a loved one.
“At the end of the day, I'm proud to work for the people of the community to keep them safe. I've spent two decades trying to protect this city in difficult times. And I'd like to continue to do so without the distractions this series brings of events
The world No. 1 golfer had faced four charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer, following the dramatic events on May 17; when he was taken in handcuffs to Valhalla
Scheffler was accused of dragging Gillis to the ground after accelerating in his car
'I wish Scottie Scheffler and his family all the best.'
In his police citation, Gillis also claimed his $80 pants were ruined when he was dragged to the ground by Scheffler's car. And he made light of the damage to his uniform in the statement.
“PS… Yes, the department makes us buy $80 pants,” he joked. “For those concerned, they really were ruined. But Scottie, it's all right.
“I never would have guessed I'd have the most famous pants in the country for a few weeks because of this. Take care and be safe.”
Earlier Wednesday, new footage emerged showing Scheffler giving his side of the story to a police officer while sitting in the back of a police car.
The double champion of the Masters he admitted he “should have stopped” before accusing an “overly aggressive” Gillis of “hitting me with his flashlight.”
He also claimed he “didn't know” Gillis was a police officer and insisted he only walked away from police because he feared for his safety.
The video, apparently a recording of footage captured on a body camera, showed a tense exchange between Scheffler and an officer with the golfer sitting in the back seat of a police car.
The officer reads Scheffler his Miranda rights. When asked if he understands them, Scheffler says, “Yes, thank you.”
He is then asked 'with these rights in mind, do you want to talk to me about what happened?'
Scheffler replies “yes please” and begins to explain, “So, um, my house is right down this road and so I was planning on getting here at 5:50 am to start my training for the my departure time I (inaudible) and that took me about half an hour.
“So I'm getting here and the police officer up there told me to come the other way with the traffic and then get in. But as I was getting in, my window was down and the officer told me to stop In the first place, he didn't know he was a policeman, he thought he was one of the security guards who had made a mistake.”
The officer interrupts and says, “Stop right here. Why does it matter if it's a security guard or a policeman if someone tells you to stop?
Scheffler replies, “Yes, you're right. I should have stopped. I was getting really impatient because I'm quite late for my departure time. When he got into the car, he grabbed me by the shoulder and hit me .
The officer interjects, “Trying to get you to stop, right?”
Scheffler continues, “Yeah. He seemed a little too aggressive because the entrance was open. I moved forward because I thought he was going to start hitting me and I didn't know who it was. He didn't tell me he was a cop. All I saw was the yellow jacket. I didn't know what I was doing.
Steve Romines, Scheffler's attorney, says his client has grounds for a lawsuit of his own
The officer replies, “So the thing is, he's wearing a uniform and the same jacket that I have that says police. Also, if someone tells you to stop, whoever it is, don't go on.
“What happened is you went ahead and took him with you while he was walking. You grabbed him with your car and dragged him, which is not good.
“To make it even worse when he asked you to get out of the car, you refused to get out.”
Scheffler says, “I didn't know it was a police officer yet. I was actually looking out the window trying to find a police officer. Believe me, sir, if I had known it was a police officer I would have been a lot less scared.
Panic set in, as you can see I'm still shaking. I was afraid. I didn't know who he was. He didn't say police, he just hit me with his flashlight and yelled, get out of the car.
The officer replies, “We wear a lot of police gear. Surely that means we're police.
“Sir, believe me, if I had known it was a police officer I would have gotten out of the car,” Scheffler replied. “I don't know what to tell you, other than I had a bit of a panic trying to get on the golf course.”
Earlier Wednesday, new footage emerged showing Scheffler giving his version of events to a police officer
The two-time Masters champion admitted he “should have stopped” before accusing an “over-aggressive” Gillis of “hitting me with his flashlight”
Scheffler competed in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas over the weekend
Asked about the footage, Romines added: “That's why you don't talk to the police… they're trying to frame you.
'No, that's what happened. He is being interrogated after the most stressful situation of his life. And the officer is actually asking him questions and trying to get him to agree with him.
'And that's why you don't talk to the police. Because they will try to put words in your mouth. And that's exactly what he did.
'I didn't have to speak. Again, he asked to speak to the officer. I wanted to tell him what happened. However, they are trying to get him to confess to something he didn't do. And the video evidence shows that he didn't.”
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