American Loympic swimmers Ryan Lochte, left, and Jimmy Feigan, right.
American gold-medal swimmer Ryan Lochte and three Olympic swimmer teammates lied about being robbed at gunpoint, Brazilian authorities said. Further, police say the athletes made up the story to cover up their damaging a bathroom door at a Rio gas station.
UPDATE: A security guard did point a gun at four American swimmers but there was no robbery, according to Rio de Janeiro chief of civil police Fernando da Silva Veloso, who adds that one or more of the U.S. Olympic athletes carried out acts of vandalism at a gas station; officials have not yet determined if charges will be filed against them.
However, Reuters reported a slightly different version of events, citing a police source claiming the CCTV video of the encounter does not show the swimmers causing any damage, only the store employees removing them from the bathroom. A security guard then stopped the group from leaving in a taxi as Lochte and the others offer money. Three swimmers are apparently told to sit on the ground with their hands in the air. Lochte stands up but is told to sit down again.
Neverthless, Chief Veloso said Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz later told police during a four-hour interrogation that the robbery story had been fabricated by Lochte.
EARLIER: Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were taken off their homebound flight and not allowed to leave Brazil until they give testimony to investigators regarding an alleged robbery that targeted a group of swimmers, People’s Pundit Daily reported Thursday that police say they have a video proving the story was false.
An official with direct knowledge of the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Lochte, along with fellow swimmers Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen, stopped at a gas station in Barra da Tijuca, a suburb of Rio around 6 a.m. on Sunday. One of the swimmers tried to open the door of an outside bathroom, but it was locked.
The swimmers then proceeded to push on the door until they broke it and, a security guard appeared and confronted them, but it wasn’t clear whether he ever took out his fireman or pointed it at anyone.
Ryan Lochte said he was with Conger, Bentz and Jimmy Feigen when they were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the athletes’ village from a party. Lochte originally claimed he had a gun pointed at his head, but now says he only had a gun pointed at him. He also now says the taxi wasn’t pulled over by men with a badge, but that they were robbed after stopping at the gas station.
While Lochte made it back to the U.S., despite being told not to leave, he said he is cooperating with authorities. Mr. Feigen was also ordered to stay in Brazil. The office of Judge Keyla Blanc, who previously ordered the seizure of Lochte and Feigen’s passports, said in a statement that there were discrepancies in their statements. The U.S. Olympic Committee said police went to the athletes’ village to try to seize the passports, but the U.S. team had already moved out.
Meanwhile, Jeff Ostrow, Mr. Lochte’s attorney, said there is no question the robbery occurred and his client is sticking to his story.
“Why would anybody fabricate anything?” Steve Lochte said. “It’s just ridiculous.”
