World No. 1 golfer Scotty Scheffler arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer outside the PGA Championship

(CNN) — World No. 1 golfer Scotty Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony and other charges early Friday morning before the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, after allegedly injuring a police officer while attempting to drive past the scene of a fatal crash. Following his arrest and release, the golfer returned to the Valhalla Golf Course for the second round of the tournament.

Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, as well as third-degree criminal mischief, careless driving and disregarding traffic control officers’ signals, according to Jefferson County court records.

He was later released from prison and returned to the Valhalla Golf Course for the second round of the tournament. Shortly after 10 a.m. local time, he made his first throw of the day, earning applause from the crowd, and managed bird on the first hole.

Scheffler’s lawyer told CNN he plans to plead not guilty to the charges. In a statement, Scheffler called the incident a “huge misunderstanding.”

“This morning I acted on the instructions of the police. It was a very chaotic situation, which is understandable given the tragic accident that occurred earlier, and there was a huge misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said in a statement on Instagram. “It was never my intention to ignore any instructions. “I hope to put that aside and focus on golf today.”

The arrest of the world’s top golfer, known as an “extraordinary, extraordinary” player who just days ago became a father, has dramatically turned one of golf’s biggest tournaments into, as ESPN host Dave Flemming put it, “a championship in chaos.” Scheffler, 27, won his second Masters title last month and was the favorite at the PGA Championship.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who witnessed and filmed the arrest, the incident began when Scheffler drove to Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of a tournament around 6 a.m. local time.

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a bus early this morning as he tried to cross the main road leading to the field, Louisville Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Dwight Mitchell said. Therefore, the police presence around the entrance to the field was increased.

When Scheffler arrived, he attempted to drive around the crash site in the median, according to ESPN, which first reported Scheffler’s arrest. “The police officer ordered Scheffler to stop, but Scheffler continued to drive another 30 to 60 feet toward the entrance,” ESPN reported.

“Scheffler then stopped his car at the entrance to Valhalla. The officer then started yelling at him to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer pinned Scheffler against the vehicle and immediately handcuffed him,” Darlington wrote on his Facebook page. X. Scheffler was in the players’ car, Darlington said on ESPN.

Officers approached Scheffler, who was handcuffed, and placed him in a police car, Darlington’s video shows.

“He’s going to jail now,” an agent at the scene says in the video.

According to a report obtained by Louisville Metro Police, Scheffler was attempting to enter the golf course when he was stopped by an officer wearing full police uniform and a yellow reflective rain jacket. The agent, identified as Det. Brian Gillis stopped Scheffler and tried to give him instructions.

“The subject refused to comply and accelerated, knocking Detective Gillis to the ground,” the report states.

The detective suffered from pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee and was taken to the hospital for further treatment, according to the report. His uniform pants, worth about $80, “were irreparably damaged,” the report said.

Lawyer calls arrest a ‘misunderstanding’

Louisville police are expected to make a statement about the arrest this Friday after reviewing video of the incident, a senior police official said. According to preliminary information, the officer attempted to prevent Scheffler from passing and Scheffler’s vehicle made contact with the officer. The officer was not seriously injured.

Scheffler’s lawyer, Stephen Romines, told CNN in a statement Friday that Scheffler was heading to the golf course to prepare for his PGA Championship debut.

“Due to road accidents and deaths, a very chaotic situation has arisen in the area. He was acting at the direction of another traffic officer and was driving the player’s marked vehicle with his credentials visible,” Romines said. “Amid the confusion, Scotty allegedly ignored another officer’s traffic lights, resulting in charges being filed.”

Romines says several witnesses testified that Scheffler “did nothing wrong” but rather drove the car as ordered.

“He immediately stopped as directed and did not attack any officer with his vehicle at any time,” the statement said. “We will plead not guilty and, if necessary, will go to court in this case.”

Scheffler’s arraignment is scheduled for next Tuesday.

According to the organization, the pedestrian who died earlier in the accident was an employee of the supplier PGA of America, organizer of the PGA Championship. The man’s death “really takes everything to the next level,” Scheffler said in a statement.

Scheffler’s arrest stands in stark contrast to his clean image, said David Dusek, senior columnist for Golfweek.

“Scottie Scheffler is one of the most accomplished, experienced and respected players on the PGA Tour,” Dusek said. “He is known for being very calm and cool on the golf course and carries that off the course as well.”

After a stellar 2023 campaign in which he retained his PGA Tour Player of the Year title, Scheffler has only solidified his status as a dominant force in men’s golf this season. Just a week after his convincing victory at The Arnold Palmer Invitational, he made a surprisingly late bid to become the first player to defend The Players Championship.

The 27-year-old has seemed virtually unstoppable since then, as victory at the RBC Heritage just a week after donning his second green jacket at Augusta added four wins from five starts.

Scheffler pulled out of the competition last week to be with his wife Meredith, who gave birth to the couple’s first child, Bennett. “Sitting at home with a girl I dated in high school next to our son and then having a green jacket in the closet is a pretty crazy feeling,” he said, “and I just want to be as grateful as possible.”

After Thursday’s game at Louisville, Scheffler hoped to try to “correct some mistakes,” he said.

“I missed two blows and I felt that today I should hide, but that will happen when greenery They are a little chewed,” he said. “I felt like there were a couple things I could improve on tomorrow, but overall today was a good round.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s John Miller, Amanda Musa, Michelle Krupa and Tanika Gray contributed to this story.