Witness Of Scottie Scheffler Arrest At PGA Championship Provides New Details: 'Cop Got Very Angry'
Scottie Scheffler being arrested just outside the gates of Valhalla Golf Club early Friday morning dominated headlines over the weekend, and while all signs point to the situation being a complete misunderstanding, we don't yet know exactly what took place at the site of the PGA Championship.
It turns out that Jeff Darlington, who originally broke the story, wasn't the only eyewitness from ESPN who saw the whole thing go down between Scheffler and Louisville Police Detective Bryan Gillis. Bob Wischusen, the New York Jets play-by-play man for ESPN New York radio, was also in the van that was shuttling Darlington and others on Friday morning.
Wischusen's account of what transpired corroborates Darlington's telling of the story, but it also provides new details.
"He was pretty, you know, enthusiastic, let’s say," Wischusen told Golf.com while describing Officer Gillis first approaching Scheffler's vehicle. Wischusen said Gillis "beamed his flashlight up and down Scheffler’s car and yelled at him with words to the effect of: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, who are you? Where are you going? Get back in line. You’re not allowed to come through here."
Scottie Scheffler playing his second round at the PGA Championship after being arrested. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Wischusen explained that Gillis was "scolding" Scheffler. It's Wischusen's details regarding Scheffler driving away from Gillis that offers a new perspective on the situation.
Darlington explained that the officer "attached himself" to Scheffler's car. Gillis, whose body camera was not activated at the time, described that he was "dragged" to the ground by Scheffler's car which resulted in injury and damaged pants, which was specifically noted in the arrest report.
Wischusen explained that Gillis was running alongside the car.
"When [Scheffler] drove past him, the cop got very angry pursuing the car. … My impression was he was kind of running alongside chasing the car, and maybe he tripped and fell," Wischusen told the outlet. "I mean, there was kind of an outcropping or median, you know, by the front gate. And keep in mind, it was raining. It was 6 o’clock in the morning. It was dark."
When he was asked about Darlington stating that Gillis attached himself to Scheffler's car, Wischusen said "I could see him stumble, but I did not have a very clear view of exactly how you want to categorize his contact with the car."
After being put in handcuffs, detained, and posing for a mugshot in an orange jumpsuit, Scheffler was ultimately able to make his Friday morning tee time and fired an insanely impressive 5-under 66.
Scheffler was ultimately charged with second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
Steve Romines, Scheffler's lawyer, recently denied a report that the charges against his client would be dropped. Scheffler's arraignment has been postponed to June 3, after originally scheduled for this week.