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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Author
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Friday morning after making an attempt to drive into the doorway of Valhalla Golf Membership, the positioning of this week’s PGA Championship.
Visitors exterior the golf course had been stopped after a person was struck and killed by a shuttle bus round 5 a.m. ET.
Scheffler faces costs of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree legal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding visitors indicators from an officer directing visitors. The assault cost is a felony; the others are misdemeanors.
Maj. Jason Logsdon of the Louisville Metro Division of Corrections advised ESPN that Scheffler was launched at 8:40 a.m. ET Friday with out bail. He arrived at Valhalla lower than an hour earlier than he was scheduled to tee off at 10:08 a.m. ET.
“This morning, I used to be continuing as directed by law enforcement officials,” Scheffler mentioned in a press release. “It was a really chaotic state of affairs, understandably so contemplating the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was an enormous misunderstanding of what I assumed I used to be being requested to do. I by no means meant to ignore any of the directions. I am hopeful to place this to the aspect and deal with golf at this time.
“In fact, all of us concerned within the match categorical our deepest sympathies to the household of the person who handed away within the earlier accident this morning. It really places all the things in perspective.”
In response to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, Scheffler was making an attempt to drive across the crash scene on a median. A police officer instructed Scheffler to cease, however Scheffler continued to drive about 10 to twenty yards towards the doorway.
At one level, an officer connected himself to the aspect of Scheffler’s automotive. Scheffler stopped his automotive as he changed into the doorway of Valhalla Golf Membership.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, Scheffler rolled down his window to speak to the officer. The officer grabbed Scheffler’s arm to drag him out of the automobile, based on Darlington. The officer reached contained in the automobile to open the door, and as soon as Scheffler was pulled out, he was pushed in opposition to the automotive and positioned in handcuffs.
Darlington was standing on the entrance when Scheffler was detained. Darlington mentioned Scheffler turned to him and requested, “Are you able to assist?”
In response to Darlington, an officer instructed him to again away.
“You must get out of the way in which,” the officer advised Darlington. “Proper now, he will jail, and there is nothing you are able to do about it.”
The officer, recognized within the arrest report as Det. Gillis, was dragged “to the bottom” and suffered “ache, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist” after the automotive “accelerated ahead,” based on the police report.
The officer was wearing a excessive visibility reflective jacket when he stopped Scheffler’s automotive to offer directions, the arrest sheet mentioned. Gillis was taken to the hospital for his accidents.
Scheffler’s legal professional, Steven Romines, advised ESPN that the golfer tried to enter Valhalla Golf Membership as he had been instructed to earlier, unaware there had been a deadly wreck simply up the highway.
“He was going into Valhalla to work out,” Romines mentioned. “He was preparing for his tee time. They had been directing visitors. He held his credential out and was moving into like they’d been instructed to. Apparently, there had been a visitors accident, perhaps even a fatality, down the highway, and that had modified the visitors patterns, and he was unaware of that.”
Romines, talking exterior the Louisville Metro Division of Corrections, mentioned the officer who tried to cease Scheffler wasn’t a part of the common event-traffic element at Valhalla Golf Membership, “in order that’s the place the miscommunication arose.”
“They’re allowed to undergo, that is why they’ve the credential and the wave-through,” Romines mentioned. “[Scheffler] was unaware there had been a wreck, and he proceeded like they’d been instructed to. He did precisely as he was instructed to enter the premises.”
Romines mentioned Scheffler would cooperate absolutely with police and “we’ll cope with it because it progresses.”
Scheffler, 27, has received 4 of his previous 5 begins, together with his second main championship on the Masters in April.
The beginning of the second spherical was delayed after a shuttle bus struck and killed a pedestrian exterior Valhalla Golf Membership, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Division confirmed to ESPN.
The unidentified man was making an attempt to cross Shelbyville Highway when he was struck in a devoted lane for buses. Police mentioned the person died on the scene.
“This morning we had been devastated to be taught {that a} employee with one in every of our distributors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus exterior Valhalla Golf Membership,” the PGA of America mentioned in a press release. “That is heartbreaking to all of us concerned with the PGA Championship. We lengthen our honest condolences to their household and family members.”
A number of police and first responders had been nonetheless on the scene at 6:45 a.m. ET. Visitors had backed up on the roadway in darkish and moist situations, and shuttle buses bringing followers to the golf course had been stopped.
The second spherical had been scheduled to start out at 7:15 a.m. ET.
