Scottie Scheffler’s Arraignment Postponed Following Arrest During PGA Championship

No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment has been postponed nearly two weeks after his arrest on charges of ignoring police traffic signals and assaulting a police officer while in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

The athlete was driving near Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning when he allegedly went through a police checkpoint and struck an officer with his vehicle, according to the police report. He was arrested hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship.

Scheffler, 27, was initially scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of second-degree assault on a police officer, a felony, as well as third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and ignoring traffic signs. traffic of an officer who directs traffic. according to the police. The arraignment was postponed until June 3 at 9 a.m., online court records show.

The district judge presiding over the case on Monday granted the defense’s motion to continue the arraignment “over the objection of Jefferson County Prosecutor Mike O’Connell,” a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said. District Attorney Josh Abner said in a statement to ABC News. “Our office continues to gather information on the case.”

Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said in a statement to Louisville ABC affiliate WHAS that they plan to plead not guilty to the charges.

Scheffler was arrested about an hour after a fatal crash near the golf course. Around 5 a.m. Friday, a man was fatally struck by a bus while attempting to cross a street near the course hosting the PGA Championship, according to a statement issued by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department. The victim was identified as John Mills, a PGA Championship Tour volunteer.

Roadblocks and confusion over the crash allegedly led Scheffler to drive past police who were at the scene, according to ESPN reports. Scheffler allegedly refused to comply with a police officer’s request to stop and “accelerated forward,” dragging the detective to the ground, according to the police report. The officer was taken to the hospital after suffering “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.”

“This morning I proceeded as directed by police officers,” Scheffler said in a statement on social media. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a huge misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to ignore any of the instructions.”

Romines told WHAS that Scheffler was following an officer’s orders and there was a “miscommunication” with the officer who tried to stop him.

“Amid the confusion, Scottie allegedly ignored traffic signals from a different officer, resulting in these charges,” Romines said in the statement. “Several witnesses have confirmed that he did nothing wrong, but simply proceeded as instructed. He stopped immediately when instructed and at no time did he attack any officer with his vehicle.”

There is no body camera footage of the incident between Scheffler and police, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told reporters Saturday. However, there is another angle to the incident, from a “fixed camera” across the street, and it will be released in the coming days, he said.

The Louisville Metro Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into Scheffler’s arrest, Greenberg told WHAS on Monday.

“If there are policy violations that took place, they will be very clear about that and we will address it appropriately,” Greenberg told the station.

Scheffler was released from jail and returned to the field about an hour before his 10:08 a.m. Friday release time. He finished in a tie for eighth at the PGA Championship, the second major of the year.

“I think Saturday morning I finally realized what happened,” he said during Sunday’s news conference after the final round, calling the tournament “hectic.” “I tried my best to put that behind me and come here and compete and do what I love.”

The PGA of America said in a statement Friday that it is “cooperating fully as local authorities review what occurred.”

“Our primary concern today remains the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work,” the statement said.

Scheffler has won four tournaments on tour this year, including a dominant performance at The Masters in April – his second Masters victory and also his second major victory. He also won back-to-back major events in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and

ABC News’ Jon Haworth contributed to this report.