PGA golfer Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The charges against world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler stemming from his arrest before the second round of the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, two weeks ago were dropped on Wednesday.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said his office would not pursue the case stemming from an incident. He asked for the charges to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled in the future.
Scheffler, 27, had been facing charges of felony second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
He was arrested in the pre-dawn hours on 17 May as he attempted to enter Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship. Traffic had been stopped outside the course after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
According to the arrest citation, Scheffler failed to stop on Gillis' command. The detective then grabbed the golfer's tournament car and fell to the ground as Scheffler tried to drive away.
Scheffler was released from jail in time to play his second round. A four-time PGA Tour winner this season, Scheffler was the overwhelming pre-tournament favourite. He finished tied for eighth at 13 under par.
Gillis later was disciplined by his department because his body-worn camera was turned off.
However, a new video surfaced Wednesday of Scheffler's conversation with an officer while sitting in the back of a police car. In it, Scheffler said he did not know that the man wearing a yellow jacket and trying to stop him was a policeman. Scheffler also said the officer "hit" him with a flashlight.
"If I knew he was a police officer, I would have been much less afraid," Scheffler said. "But panic kind of set in. As you can see, I'm still shaking because I was afraid. I didn't know who he was. He didn't say, 'Police, get out of the car.' He just hit me with his flashlight and yelled, 'Get out of the car.'"
Scheffler followed up the PGA Championship by tying for second last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. He is not competing at this week's RBC Canadian Open.
-Reuters