The world’s No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler could sue Louisville police if he feels like it, but he prefers to move forward with his recent arrest, his attorney said.
‘There are absolutely grounds for a lawsuit, but he doesn’t want to be involved. Scottie Scheffler wants to quit,” Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, told reporters in Louisville on Wednesday.
Charges against Scheffler were dropped Wednesday following his arrest at the PGA Championship earlier this month. The PGA Tour star was accused of attacking a police officer with his vehicle as he approached Valhalla Golf Course on May 17. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, alleged that Scheffler “refused” to follow instructions and “accelerated forward, knocking the officer to the ground.”
Surveillance video of the incident did not corroborate Gillis’ story. In addition, Gillis was reprimanded for not activating his police camera during the arrest.
“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here,” Romines said. “And I think everyone sees something like this happen and realizes that they took a wrong turn … by going to jail themselves.”
A mugshot of golf’s No. 1 after his dramatic arrest by Louisville police this month
Steve Romines, attorney for golfer Scottie Scheffler, speaks to the press on Wednesday
Police footage shows Scheffler admitting to the officer that he “should have stopped” and admitted that he was “impatient.”
But for Romines, Scheffler’s statement is proof that talking to police without a lawyer is a bad idea.
“That’s why you don’t talk to the police,” he said, adding: “They’re trying to get you to incriminate yourself.
“This is what happened,” Romines continued. ‘He is being interrogated after the most stressful situation of his life. And the officer is actually asking him leading questions and trying to get him to agree with him.
‘And that’s why you don’t talk to the police. Because they’re going to try to put words in your mouth. And that’s exactly what he did.’
Scottie Scheffler has had all charges dropped against him following his arrest outside Va;
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said evidence showed it was a “misunderstanding.”
One reporter pointed out that Scheffler had been Mirandized before giving his statement to police, but Romines remained unmoved.
“He didn’t have to speak,” Romines said. “Again he asked to speak to the officer. He wanted to explain to him what had happened. However, they try to get him to admit something he didn’t do. And the video evidence shows he didn’t do it.”
Scheffler faced four charges, including the misdemeanor count of second-degree assault on a police officer.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell addressed the court Wednesday and announced that his office would not pursue criminal action against golf’s No. 1 player.
O’Connell filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying Scheffler’s claim that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding “is borne out by the evidence.”
“Based on the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in prosecuting the charges against Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said during the hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes.
It comes less than a week after Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel vowed at a news conference to “respect the legal process” and “let it play out.”