Louisville police confirm there is no bodycam video of Scheffler’s arrest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed to ESPN on Saturday that the officer who arrested world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the gates of Valhalla Golf Club early Friday did not have his bodycam video recorder with him during of the incident activated.

Early Saturday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told the Louisville Courier-Journal that he wasn’t sure whether Det. Bryan Gillis was wearing a body camera at the time of the traffic stop, but it wasn’t on when he did it. Greenberg said there is footage from a stationary camera across the street that will be released in the coming days.

In a response to ESPN on Saturday, a Louisville police public information officer said Greenberg’s statement was accurate.

“There is no body-worn camera footage from the initial encounter,” the police spokesman said in an email. “The incident is currently being reviewed internally and progressed through the legal process. We would like to reiterate that all parties involved are cooperating fully. LMPD is committed to a thorough investigation of all those involved.”

The public information officer also emailed a copy of the department’s standard operating procedures for body-worn cameras (BWC), which were revised in December 2022. Section 4.31.6 of the Procedures states that officers are required to “maintain their BWC at a consistent level.” State of operational readiness.”

“The BWC is used to record all calls for service and law enforcement activities/encounters (e.g., arrests, citations, stops, pursuits, Code 3 operations/responses, searches, seizures, interviews, identifications, use-of-force incidents, collisions, transports). , arrest warrants, official calls on department smartphones, etc.),” the lawsuits said. “Members are required to follow the following procedures to record law enforcement-related activities.”

The procedures further state that officers “immediately activate their BWC into recording mode before engaging in any law enforcement activities or encounters.”

When ESPN asked whether Gillis should activate his BWC when he faced Scheffler, the spokesman replied: “What we have shared with you is what is available at this time.”

What happened in the minutes before Scheffler’s arrest is controversial. Traffic was backed up after a fatal accident around 5 a.m. ET Friday in which a vendor employee was struck and killed by a bus as he tried to cross the road to Valhalla, site of this week’s PGA Championship.

According to a police incident report, Gilis was standing in the middle of the westbound lane when Scheffler’s SUV pulled into the lane to avoid traffic. According to the report, Gillis was wearing a full police uniform and a “yellow, high visibility reflective rain jacket.”

Gillis stopped Scheffler’s SUV and attempted to give him directions. The report said Scheffler “refused to comply with the request and accelerated forward, knocking Detective Gillis to the ground.”

Gillis was taken to hospital by emergency medical services for evaluation. According to the report, he suffered “pain, swelling and abrasions” to his left wrist and knee. His pants were also damaged beyond repair.

Scheffler, 27, is charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal trespass, reckless driving and failure to obey traffic signals by an officer directing traffic. The assault charge is a felony; the others are misdemeanors.

Scheffler was booked into jail Friday morning and released without bail at 8:40 a.m. ET. An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET.

When a Courier-Journal reporter asked Greenberg whether charges against Scheffler would be dismissed, the mayor said, “Right now the case is in the hands of our district attorney and we will let the legal process play out.”

Scheffler returned to Walhalla and played in the second round. After shooting a 66, he called the incident a “big misunderstanding” and a “chaotic situation.”

“I think this will be resolved pretty quickly,” Scheffler said Friday.