LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville judge dismissed charges Wednesday against pro golfer Scottie Scheffler stemming from his May 17 arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club at the request of prosecutors and his defense attorney.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell told Jefferson District Court Judge Anne Delahanty during an afternoon hearing in downtown Louisville that Scheffler's assertion that the incident was a "big misunderstanding" was "corroborated by the evidence." 

"Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler," O'Connell said in court.

Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world and winner of the Masters last month, was charged with felony assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. Prior to Wednesday's resolution, he was set to be arraigned on criminal charges next Monday.

"As I stated previously, this was an unfortunate misunderstanding," Scheffler said in a written statement on Instagram. "... Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation."

Steve Romines, Scheffler's attorney, told reporters outside the Hall of Justice after the hearing that Scheffler was "falsely arrested" amid a tense situation. He said there are several eyewitnesses to Scheffler's encounter with police who denied that the arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was dragged by the golfer's car. 

"It's obvious he didn't do anything wrong," Romines said. "The video evidence shows he didn't do it."

Scheffler was handcuffed early May 17 outside the PGA Championship after allegedly refusing to stop near the scene of a fatal crash at the course entrance. Shortly before he arrived at Valhalla for his tee time, John Mills of Crestwood was crossing Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. to work at Valhalla as a security guard when a shuttle bus hit and killed him, authorities said. He was 69.

While police were still on Shelbyville Road investigating that crash, they claim in Scheffler's arrest report that he was driving "eastbound to gain access to the course" at Valhalla Gate 1 when he pulled into a westbound lane "where outbound traffic was flowing and to avoid backed up traffic." Romines said one police officer directed him to go around and into the facility, but the arresting officer was unaware and stopped the golfer.

Louisville Metro Police accused Scheffler of refusing to comply with orders from Gillis, accelerating forward and dragging Gillis to the ground. The officer was taken to the hospital with apparent pain, swelling and abrasions to his left knee and wrist. His uniform pants, which were estimated to have cost $80, "were damaged beyond repair," according to the arrest report.

Scheffler was booked into jail downtown around 7:30 a.m.

In a statement, Gillis said "a tragic incident occurred," and that the family of Mills "remains in my family's thoughts and prayers." 

"This was a chaotic situation for everyone involved. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the vicinity was my utmost priority. Mr. Scheffler and I both agree that there will be no ill will over this going forward. Instead of giving a negative public reaction, he chose to speak with dignity, humility, and respect. My family and I appreciate that," Gillis' statement continued. "It was unfortunate and disturbing to hear Steve Romines' commentary today claiming that a 'false arrest' was made and for him to challenge my honesty and integrity. I'd be surprised and disappointed if Mr. Scheffler actually had any part in making those statements. To be clear, I was drug by the car, I went to the ground, and I received visible injuries to my knees and wrist. I'm going to recover from it, and it will be OK. This is the extent of my commentary on the incident. The reality is that there are more important things in the world right now than a back-and-forth over this. A person lost his life that day, and a family lost a loved one.

"At the end of the day, I take pride in working for the people in the community to preserve their safety. I've spent two decades trying to protect this city through some challenging times. And I would like to keep doing so without the distractions caused by this series of events. I wish Scottie Scheffler and his family all the best."

In a "P.S." to the statement, Gillis addressed the uniform pants that were damaged.

"Yes, the department has us buying freaking $80 pants. To those concerned, they were indeed ruined. But Scottie, it's all good. I never would've guessed I'd have the most famous pair of pants in the country for a few weeks because of this. Take care and be safe," he wrote.

Leaked LMPD body camera video shows an officer questioning Scheffler at the scene in the back of a cruiser. Scheffler admitted he was "still shaking" and that Gillis "grabbed my shoulder and hit me ... it seemed a little bit over-aggressive because the entrance (to Valhalla) was open."

"I didn't know who he was," Scheffler told the officer of his initial interaction with Gillis. "He didn't say 'Police! Get out of the car!' He just hit me with his flashlight and yelled 'Get out of the car!'

"Believe me: If I knew he was a police officer, I would have gotten out of the car. I don't know what to tell you other than I was a little bit panicked trying to get into the golf course, and now I don't know what to do."

In the back of the cruiser, Scheffler asked the officer with him if Gillis was OK and later asked if he could speak to Gillis at the scene.

"He's got a huge scrape on his knee. He's being checked by EMS, a big bruise," the officer replied. "So I don't know. But, for you, right now, the main question is if you're going to jail. And it's up to him. I don't know."

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Romines blistered at a question by a reporter who insinuated that Scheffler admitted to the officer in the leaked video that he got impatient and went too far. 

"He is being interrogated after the most stressful situation of his life, right? And the officer is actually asking him leading questions and trying to get him to agree with them," Romines said, claiming that police were "trying to get him to confess to something that he didn't do."

Witnesses said Gillis tried to grab onto Scheffler's vehicle as he slowly moved forward. LMPD and Mayor Craig Greenberg said there isn't body camera footage of the initial incident.

"The officer did not have a body cam footage turned on during the incident," Greenberg said. "We did not have any ... to my knowledge. We have not discovered any video of the initial contact between officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler."

Before the charges were dismissed, Scheffler's felony second-degree assault of a police officer charge was amended down to fourth-degree assault with no visible injury. O'Connell told Delahanty on Wednesday his office concluded that the incident didn't "satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses." Romines later added that there are "absolutely" grounds for a lawsuit against LMPD, but Scheffler isn't interested in that.

"He doesn't wish the taxpayers of Louisville to pay him for whatever occurs," Romines said of a potential settlement, adding that litigation would be a distraction to his "truly historic" PGA Tour season.

Romines commended Scheffler for the way he's acted throughout the process, saying you won't find someone to say a bad word about him.

"When he's in a police car after being falsely arrested, he is still a perfect gentleman," he said. "... It is remarkable, the restraint and character he evidenced not only during the incident, after the incident as he's being taken downtown and in the press conference that day. We need more Scottie Schefflers in the world." 

The national story has sparked a local conversation, and it's a familiar one: policing in Louisville.

Some have felt LMPD overreacted while others describe it the same way Scheffler did, a miscommunication. 

However, many feel LMPD didn't do itself any favors when the officer who arrested Scheffler failed to follow department policy and did not activate his body camera, leaving question about what really went down between Scheffler and Gillis.

Some have felt LMPD overreacted while others describe it the same way Scheffler did, miscommunication.

"It's pretty embarrassing for LMPD. Nothing new for them, they can't get out of their way," said golfer Andrew Warren.

"They're not helping their cause. I think we're heading in the right direction, I think there's a lot of people that want the same result, but I think we need to see it with action," said another golfer, Garrett Martin. 

LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said in a news conference last Thursday that Gillis should have had his body camera turned on when he arrested Scheffler and has been disciplined. According to an investigative report released Thursday, Gillis received counseling and completed a Failure to Activate form. Under LMPD policy, when responding to any call for service, members are to activate their body cams in recording mode prior to arriving on-scene and exiting their vehicle.

"We understand the seriousness of the failure to capture this interaction, which is why our officer has received corrective action for this policy violation," Gwinn-Villaroel said. 

Gillis was "in full LMPD uniform and a hi-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket" when he stopped Scheffler and "attempted to give instructions", according to the arrest report. Romines has repeatedly said Scheffler did nothing wrong.

"He was trying to get into the facility when he was arrested," Romines previously said. "Scottie didn't know what was going on."

The video below shows the interactions between Scheffler and LMPD that cameras did capture. LMPD said Gillis was dragged by the vehicle before he appears on video chasing it, but that initial portion of the incident is blocked from view of the pole camera across Shelbyville Road by several shuttle buses. The video does not show any other officers rushing toward the vehicle after Gillis was allegedly dragged.

In its investigative report, Gillis said Scheffler "demanded to be let in, and proceeded forward against my directions. I was dragged/knocked down by (Scheffler). I then proceeded to arrest (him)."

There are several people in the videos — including a loaded bus — who could be witnesses to the entire incident. There is also video of Scheffler being taken away in handcuffs.

"I will let the video speak for itself," Greenberg said during a news conference early last week in the Paristown Pointe neighborhood. "It shows the arrest of Mr. Scheffler, and I will let others come to their own conclusions."

The mayor said there are other videos that show portions of the incident, but they will not be released until the criminal case has concluded, at the request of O'Connell. As of this writing, those videos haven't been released.

"We respect the County Attorney's decision, and we respect the judicial process," LMPD said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon. 

WDRB News has requested all LMPD audio and video recordings of the arrest and the immediate aftermath. 

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