Scottie Scheffler arrest video: Louisville police release footage from PGA Championship car incident

Bryan Murphy

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Scottie Scheffler arrest video: Louisville police release footage from PGA Championship car incident image

The Scottie Scheffler arrest saga at Valhalla does not appear to be ending anytime soon. 

Louisville police held a press conference Thursday detailing the latest updates from the event that occurred before the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship. Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel provided more insight on the steps that took place after the arrest, including potential discipline for the arresting officer. 

Scheffler called the incident "chaotic" in his account of the events, saying that it was a "big misunderstanding." Despite the golf pro taking the high road, it does not appear as though Louisville police plan on letting him off the hook. 

While both the police and Scheffler previously gave their accounts of what occurred at Valhalla, the only definitive way for people to draw an opinion is video footage. The department released two separate angles of what happened at the entrance to the golf club, but the videos create more questions than answers at this point. 

Here is the latest on the arrest video and the charges against Scheffler. 

MORE: Timeline from Scheffler's arrest to his arrival at the PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler arrest video

On May 23, the Louisville Metro Police Department released its footage of the events that took place early in the morning of May 17 at Valhalla. One angle is taken from a security camera across the street, while the other is a dash cam taken from a cop car on the scene. 

In the footage shown from the camera across the street, a car can be seen stopped near the entrance to the golf course. A police officer runs alongside the vehicle, attempting to stop the car. The vehicle then stops and after a minute or two, Scheffler is removed from the car and placed under arrest. 

Arguably the biggest piece of information missing from the situation is the body cam footage. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Willis, did not have his body camera on during the altercation. As a result, there is no firsthand footage of what happened that morning. 

A video was posted on Facebook on May 23 that detailed the conversation between Scheffler and another Louisville police officer, who was identified, but was not Willis. Scheffler gave his account of the events that unfolded, stating that Willis never identified himself as a police officer and instead, grabbed Scheffler's shoulder and hit him with a flashlight, demanding him to stop his vehicle. 

Gwinn-Villaroel spoke at a press conference May 23. She said that Willis' failure to turn on his body camera was a "violation" of their department and that Willis received "corrective action" for not activating the technology.

"Detective Gillis did not have his body-worn camera operationally ready as required by our policy," Gwinn-Villareal said. "He was performing a law-enforcement action as defined in our policy. Further, section 4.31.7 states members will maintain their BWC in constant state of operational readiness.

"Detective Gillis should have turned on his body-worn camera but did not. His failure to do so is a violation of LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment."

Willis detailed his account of the incident in a record form for the department. 

"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."

Weeks after the situation unfolded, the LMPD released pictures of Gillis' knee and wrist injuries, as well as his ripped pants. 

Scottie Scheffler charges

Despite the video evidence presented on the incident, Louisville police initially were not dropping the charges against the golfer. The four charges were 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.

However, all those charges were dropped on May 29. 

Detective Bryan Gillis' discipline history

Gillis' mistake of not turning on his body camera at the time of Scheffler's arrest is reportedly not his first violation as an officer.

Jason Riley, a Louisville criminal justice reporter for WDRB news, dug up some history on Gillis' police record.

"Gillis has been disciplined several times for wrecking his vehicle & missing court, according to his personal file," Riley wrote in a post on X. "He was also suspended 5 days for doing 'donuts' in his police vehicle while on duty with an intoxicated civilian in a 'Code 3' fashion."

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.