Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment has been postponed nearly two weeks after he was arrested on allegations of ignoring police traffic signals and assaulting a police officer while attending the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
According to the police report, the sportsman was traveling near the Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning when he allegedly sped past a police roadblock, injuring an officer. Just hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship, authorities arrested him.
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Police scheduled Scheffler, 27, for arraignment Tuesday morning on charges of second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), third-degree criminal mischief, careless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. Online court records reschedule the arraignment for 9 a.m. on June 3.
On Monday, the district judge presiding over the case granted the defense’s plea to continue the arraignment “over the objection of Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell,” a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, Josh Abner, told ABC News. “Our office continues to gather information in the case.”
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, told Louisville ABC station that they intend to plead not guilty to the allegations.
An hour after a fatal accident at the golf course, authorities apprehended Scheffler. A shuttle bus killed a man around 5 a.m. Friday while he was attempting to cross a road near the PGA Championship course, according to a statement from the Louisville Metro Police Department. A PGA Championship Tour volunteer named John Mills was the fatality.
Police officers on the scene allegedly drove Scheffler due to bottlenecks and uncertainty surrounding the accident, according to ESPN. According to the police report, Scheffler allegedly refused to stop when a police officer requested it and instead “accelerated forward,” dragging the detective to the ground. The police officer suffered “pain, swelling, and abrasions on his left wrist and knee,” prompting a rushed hospital visit.
Scheffler described the encounter as a “big misunderstanding.”
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” Scheffler claimed in a social media statement. “It was a really hectic scene, understandable given the horrific events that had occurred earlier, and there was a major misunderstanding of what I felt I was being asked to do.” I never planned to ignore any of the guidelines.”
Romines told WHAS that Scheffler was following directions from one officer, and there was a “miscommunication” with the officer who tried to stop him.
Romines stated in the statement, “In the confusion, Scottie allegedly disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals, leading to these charges.” “Multiple eyewitnesses have testified that he did nothing illegal and was merely following directions.”He stopped instantly when asked to do so, and he never used his vehicle to assault any police.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington witnessed the fight between Scheffler and police and recounted it on social media, writing, “[A] police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla.” The police officer then began screaming at Scheffler to get out of the automobile. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer slammed him against the car and promptly handcuffed him.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg informed reporters on Saturday that there was no body camera footage of the encounter between Scheffler and police. However, he stated that a “fixed camera” across the street exists and will disseminate another view of the incident in the coming days.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is initiating an internal inquiry into Scheffler’s arrest, Greenberg told WHAS on Monday.
“If there are violations of policies that took place, they will be very clear about that, and we will deal with that appropriately,” Greenberg was quoted as saying.
Freed from jail, Scheffler arrived at the course about an hour before his 10:08 a.m. tee time on Friday. He finished tied for ninth place at the PGA Championship, the year’s second major.
“Saturday morning, I think it finally hit me what happened,” he remarked during Sunday’s news conference after the final round, calling the tournament “hectic.” “I did my best to leave that behind and come out here to compete and do what I love.”
The PGA of America stated in a statement Friday that it is “fully cooperating” as local police investigate what happened.
“Our primary concern today remains with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work,” the statement continued.
Scheffler has won four tournaments on the tour this year, including a strong effort at the Masters in April, his second Masters win and second major victory overall. In March, he won two prestigious events: the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.
