People reported yesterday that the Rio police had been unable to find any evidence of the crime, and it turns out that may be because there was no crime.
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At 6 am, the swimmers were at a local gas station.
The news comes after Lochte, 32, hit the headlines when his dyed hair turned green as it reacted to chemicals in the Olympic pool. Yet, as more details surfaced, it became clear the three young men sensationalized the story in order to protect their image. Two of the swimmers ran into the street and the guard, likely a policeman moonlighting as security, pointed a gun at the other two.
The days following the incident were marked by confusion, with the International Olympic Committee at first stated that the robbery had not occurred, and then retracting that statement.
A police news conference was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. That was when two men approached with guns and badges and told them to get out and get down, Lochte said.
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However, in a phone interview with Matt Lauer, Lochte has since changed his version of events including the part where the robbers had posed as police.
This police report is different from the story Lochte told after conflicting reports surfaced on Sunday morning.
Three American Olympic swimmers planned to meet with Brazilian law enforcement Thursday to discuss a reported robbery targeting 12-time medalist Ryan Lochte and his teammates, a U.S. Olympic Committee official said.
The alleged incident took place on Sunday, after Lochte – along with teammates James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger – attended a party at the invitation of Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira. Here’s what they said. “The main thing is he’s very lucky that he’s safe and that all they got was his cash and wallet”. The employees called on guards to not let the group leave in their taxi until they’d paid for the damage, but confrontation ensued and they tried to make their way on foot.
They stopped at a gas station and they were all really drunk. They trained for at least four years. The 32-year-old swimmer was going to pick up his vehicle and buy a new wallet to replace the one that he said was stolen.
A police source also told ABC News a similar story: “One of the swimmers was seen on CCTV footage breaking down the door to the bathroom at the gas station and fighting with a security guard”, the source said. It doesn’t indicate if it was by force or not.
Officials also said the unnamed swimmer broke down a bathroom door at the premises.
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There’s still some problems with Ryan’s claims, though – especially since, in the beginning, he told NBC News that the auto they were in was side-swiped and then the robbery occurred.
