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Louisville Police Det. Bryan Gillis, the officer who arrested World No. 1 golfer and 2024 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club earlier this month, issued a statement after after charges stemming from the case were officially dropped on Wednesday (May 29), which included a surprising admission regarding the pants that were ripped during the incident.
"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," Gillis concluded in his statement, acknowledging the viral photos of his uniform pants being ripped and ruined during the incident.
Gillis like Scheffler, said he had "no ill will over this going forward," crediting the golfer for choosing "to speak with dignity, humility, and respect" in the aftermath of his arrest, but bashed his attorney, Steve Romines for claiming it was a "false arrest" after the charges were dropped on Wednesday.
"To be clear, I was drug by the car, I went to the ground, and I received visible injuries to my knees and wrist," Gillis said in the statement. "I'm going to recover from it, and it will be ok. This is the extent of my commentary on the incident."
Scheffler issued a similar statement on his Instagram story after charges against him were dropped.
"I hold no ill will toward Officer [Bryan] Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same," Scheffler wrote on his Instagram story. "Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation."
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell revealed that prosecutors didn't plan to move forward with the case stemming from Scheffler's May 17 arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club via ESPN. The golfer was instructed to stop outside the gate at Valhalla Golf Club as officers were working on the scene where a pedestrian was fatally struck by a shuttle bus and reportedly continued driving several yards.
"A person lost his life that day, and a family lost a loved one," Gillis said in his statement.
Scheffler finished the PGA Championship tournament at 13-under, tied for eighth, and shot 66 on the day of his arrest. The World No. 1 golfer is less than a month removed from winning his second Masters Tournament and recently became a father for the first time.