Scottie Scheffler and arresting officer speak up after charges dropped

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The main characters in the Scottie Scheffler arrest fiasco at the PGA Championship in Louisville have both spoken out following the decision by Jefferson County prosecutors to drop all charges against the world’s No. 1 golfer.

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It’s been a shocking situation from beginning to end, and one both the golfer and the police officer seem to be looking to put behind them.

Scheffler posted the following message to his Instagram account:

“As I stated previously, this was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation.

“I appreciate the support during the past two weeks and want to again encourage everyone to remember the real tragedy of May 17. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with John Mills and his family, and I hope to personally offer my condolences now that the case is over. May John rest in peace.”

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The shocking incident began before the second round of the PGA Champioinship when a shuttle bus working with the tournament struck and killed pedestrian John Mills outside Valhalla Golf Club, creating a large traffic delay. When Scheffler’s car attempted to circumvent traffic just over an hour later, he was intercepted by police.

Officer Bryan Gillis reportedly had his hand on the car and says he was dragged to the ground when Scheffler attempted to continue driving to the course. A video from across the street misses this alleged first interaction, but shows Gillis taking Scheffler from the car, before handcuffing and leading the golfer into the back of a police vehicle.

Scheffler was charged with four offences, the most serious of which was assaulting a police officer. All of the charges were dropped on Wednesday with the prosecutor agreeing with the golfer’s acount that it was all a “big misunderstanding.”

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Officer Gillis received disciplinary action for failing to have his body-cam activated at the time of the interaction. The officer has a history of disciplinary issues, including a five-day suspension for doing donuts with his police cruiser while driving with an intoxicated civilian.

Gillis released a statement on Wednesday following the prosecutor’s decision to drop the charges.

“A tragic incident occurred, and the family of Mr. Mills remains in my family’s thoughts and prayers,’ Gillis wrote. ‘This was a chaotic situation for everyone involved. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the vicinity was my utmost priority.

“Mr. Scheffler and I both agree that there will be no ill will over this going forward. Instead of giving a negative public reaction, he chose to speak with dignity, humility and respect. My family and I appreciate that.”

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Gillis had less flattering things to say about Scheffler’s lawyer Steve Romines.

“It was unfortunate and disturbing to hear Steve Romines’ commentary today claiming that a ‘false arrest’ was made and for him to challenge my honesty and integrity. I’d be surprised and disappointed if Mr. Scheffler actually had any part in making those statements.

“To be clear, I was drug by the car, I went to the ground, and I received visible injuries to my knees and wrist. I’m going to recover from it, and it will be ok. This is the extent of my commentary on the incident. The reality is that there are more important things in the world right now than a back-and-forth over this. A person lost his life that day, and a family lost a loved one.”

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Gillis even took time at the end of his commentary to mention one particular line from the police report that went viral across social media: “Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, valued at approximately $80 were damaged beyond repair.”

Gillis ended his statement with this: “PS… Yes, the department has us buying freaking $80 pants. To those concerned, they were indeed ruined. But Scottie, it’s all good.I never would’ve guessed I’d have the most famous pair of pants in the country for a few weeks.”

Whether this is, indeed, the end of one of the craziest golf stories in recent memory, we’ll have to wait toi find out.

Scheffler is scheduled to play next week at The Memorial Tournament, and the following week at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

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