Louisville Police reportedly arrested Officer Javar Downs, who infamously helped arrest the world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, during the PGA Championship earlier this year.
Downs has been placed on emergency suspension and police chief Paul Humphrey is in the process of terminating him, according to the Courier-Journal, which cited a statement from police spokesperson Angela Ingram. He’s been charged with theft and official misconduct, and remains under internal investigation.
Downs was part of the Louisville traffic unit that accosted Scheffler in the early morning hours ahead of his PGA Championship round and took him to jail for what appeared to be a simple traffic misunderstanding. The incident caused shockwaves around the sports world, and it was later revealed Downs’s bodycam was not turned on during the arrest, a violation of Louisville police policy. (Click HERE to sign up for Mr. Right’s weekly newsletter)
🚨💰😲 #SHOCKER — Officer Javar Downs of the @LMPD was arrested today after he allegedly stole $4K he seized from a suspect being booked into jail. Additionally he was one of 3 officers who didn’t turn on their bodycams during the arrest of Scottie Scheffler.
Via: @wave3news pic.twitter.com/OOtADug4a3
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 23, 2024
Downs was not arrested for the Scheffler incident, but a different episode of alleged incompetence. A civilian complaint prompted an investigation into Downs after an arrest made Wednesday, Aug. 21, where Downs is accused of theft of more than $1,000 along with the misconduct. He’s reportedly accused of pocketing about $4,000 from a traffic stop where officers confiscated about $10,000, and submitting the rest for evidence.
Scheffler’s charges were dropped a couple of weeks after the incident after it became evident that pursuing jail time for “second-degree assault” and “reckless driving” would be absurd, given the circumstances caught on camera. Downs’s own supervisors admitted he had erred in the situation, particularly by not turning on his bodycam.
It turns out what goes around comes around. There’s a price to pay for sullying the great game of golf. If these allegations are true, it would appear Downs is as dirty a cop as they come. He has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but you know what they say: if there’s crap under your shoe everywhere you go, it might be you that’s the problem.
“Allegations of officer malfeasance are taken very seriously. LMPD prioritizes accountability and remains committed to conducting thorough and expedient investigations in the best interests of all parties involved,” Ingram apparently said to the Courier-Journal.
