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The Street

Colin Salao

Scottie Scheffler's Police Detainment: Here are all the details

Scottie Scheffler Police Golf Jeff Darlington ESPN the PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler, the World No. 1 ranked golfer, was detained by police ahead of Round 2 of the PGA Championship on Friday morning in one of the strangest stories in the history of sports. Here are all the details that are known.

ESPN reported that an accident that involved a fatality to a pedestrian occurred just outside the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky — the site of the second of four major championships for men's golf. The PGA Championship announced that it was a worker from one of the tournament's vendors who was tragically killed after being hit by a shuttle bus, though the identity of the victim and more details of what happened were not revealed.

"This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family…
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2024

The accident caused a traffic pile up outside the golf tournament's venue as police entered the scene.

Golfers and staffers alike were making their way to Valhalla for the second round of the tournament, including Scheffler. However, ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported that Scheffler had a "misunderstanding" with the police as he thought they were security that is typically present during golf events.

Scheffler made his way past the police, despite the police telling him to stop, who then eventually screamed at the golfer to stop the car. Scheffler was then detained, with video by Darlington showing a police officer telling the reporter to stand back.

Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car,…
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024

Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024

"Right now, he's going to jail," the officer said in the video. "He's going to jail and it ain't nothing you can do about it."

Multiple reports then surfaced that Scheffler had been booked by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections at 7:28 a.m. Eastern Time.

Scheffler was charged with:
Second-degree assault of a police officer
Third-degree criminal mischief
Reckless driving
Disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic

He has been released on his own recognizance, per reports.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) May 17, 2024

Scheffler received several charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer, but he was quickly released and reports soon surfaced that he arrived back at the golf course at around 9 a.m. ET for his tee time at 10:08 a.m.

The golfer released a statement calling the incident a "misunderstanding":

"This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably, so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.

More Sports Media:

Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”