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Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested? What We Know – NBC Chicago

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Masters champion Scott Scheffler was arrested by police early Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, on his way to the PGA Championship and is now facing charges, NBC News has confirmed.

Court records show Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, as well as third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey traffic trooper signals.

Mugshot of PGA golfer Scott Alexander Scheffler, who was arrested for assaulting police after attempting to enter the PGA Championship venue.

Pictures showed Scheffler being handcuffed and led to a police car.

Here’s what we know about the incident so far:

Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?

According to an AP report, there was a traffic jam for about a mile in both directions on the only road leading to Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning, and dozens of police cars flashed red and blue lights near the entrance.

Police said a pedestrian was struck by a bus while crossing the street on a lane designated for tournament traffic. The PGA later announced that a worker at one of its vendors was “tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus” outside Valhalla Golf Club.

“This is heartbreaking for all of us involved in the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones,” PGA America said in a statement.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Scheffler drove past a police officer in his SUV, which was marked with the PGA Championship logo identifying it as a player’s vehicle. The officer reportedly yelled at him to stop and then clung to the car until Scheffler stopped about 10 yards later.

Darlington reported that police pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him against the car and immediately handcuffed him.

“Scheffler was then led to the police car, put in the back seat, handcuffed, very stunned by what was happening, looked at me while he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me,'” Darlington said . “He clearly didn’t know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very quickly, very aggressively.”

Darlington said police weren’t sure who he was. He said an officer asked him to leave and when he came forward to the media he was told, “There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to jail.”

Darlington said another officer later approached him with a notepad and asked if he knew the name of the person who handcuffed them.

Scheffler publishes statement

In a statement later Friday morning, Scheffler described what happened.

“This morning I followed police instructions. It was a very chaotic situation, which is understandable considering the tragic accident that had occurred previously, and there was a huge misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disobey any of the instructions. “I hope I can put this aside and focus on golf today,” he said. “Of course, everyone involved in the tournament expresses our deepest condolences to the family of the man who died in the accident this morning.” . It really puts everything into perspective.”

What does this mean for the PGA Championship?

The PGA of America had no immediate comment but delayed the start of the tournament’s second round due to an “accident near the golf course.”

In a subsequent tweet, the organization said that all second-round games would be postponed by an hour and minutes from the originally published time. “Second round game begins at 8:35am,” the tweet said. “All spectator gates open at 8 a.m.”

Scheffler was seen at the track later Friday morning but did not address the media upon his arrival.

What else you should know about Scheffler

Scheffler has four wins in his last five tournaments, including his second Masters title. For the past three weeks he has been at home in Dallas awaiting the birth of his first child, a son who was born May 8.

Scheffler opened with a 4-under 67 and was five shots off the lead as he tries to become just the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year.

The 2024 PGA Championship, taking place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, began on Thursday and runs through Sunday. Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, was scheduled to start the second round at 8:48 a.m. He was scheduled to play shortly after 10 a.m

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