Brazilian police on Thursday said their investigation revealed the swimmers fabricated a story about being pulled over by men dressed as police and robbed at gunpoint. The third, Jimmy Feigen, has been cleared to leave Rio after agreeing to donate almost $11,000 to a local charity.
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Lochte left Brazil before authorities seized his passport but Feigen was held back.
A police source said Feigen’s passport would be released once he made the payment and presented a receipt to authorities.
Onlookers shouted “liars” and “shameful” at Bentz and Conger as they left a police station Thursday where they gave statements.
American Olympic swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were pulled off their flight from Rio de Janeiro to the United States overnight and have been ordered to stay in Brazil for questioning as muddled accounts of a reported robbery involving the athletes spirals into a diplomatic matter.
Further, a video of the United States of America swimmers at the petrol station also surfaced and has been circulating on news channels and social media sites over the course of the day, along with reports that at least one of the athletes is alleged to have vandalised property while using the bathroom and urinated on the property.
Seeing his charade coming to an end, Ryan Lochte waved the white flag Friday morning.
Police said they interviewed a taxi driver, a customer who translated for the men, and two girls who had been partying with the swimmers. But instead Lochte apparently told his mother they were robbed.
“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country – with a language barrier – and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave”, he continued.
The 26-year-old is slated to donate the money to a Brazilian charity Reaction Institute in order to avoid prosecution, the Associated Press reports.
Brazilian police said Thursday the athletes were drunk and got into an altercation with security staff after vandalizing a gas station bathroom during a night on the town.
His sponsors, including Speedo, Ralph Lauren and airweave premium bedding, have been in no hurry to cut ties with him, though have said they are monitoring the situation.
The police official said officers grew suspicious when video showed the swimmers returning to the athletes village wearing watches, which would have likely been taken in a robbery. They lowered the guns and I used hand gestures to ask if it was okay to leave and they said yes.
Saying that he doesn’t condone the conduct or judgment of the athletes, Wielgus added, “That this is drawing attention away from Team USA’s incredible accomplishments in the water and by other athletes across the Olympic Games is upsetting”.
“I believe that all of us need to accept the apologies of the US Olympic Committee, the same way our Olympic Committee would have had to apologize if the assault had occurred”.
However, police called this a lie, and Rio’s mayor said on Friday he had “pity and contempt” for the swimmers.
“I think Lochte is looking at a significant suspension and we may never see him again in the pool”, she told ABC News. “They did not make any untruthful testimony”.
This time Lochte was only a small part of the show.
While Feigen and Conger – who have both arrived in the U.S.as of Friday – have yet to speak out, Lochte took to Instagram on Friday morning to issue an apology. Lochte said one of the men even pointed a gun to his forehead and robbed the men of their cash.
Lochte held off on going to the media until he realized he was not in violation of any USOC rules, but by that time, the story had already gone public, Ostrow said.
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“After attending an event with several swimmers from different nations, I left in a taxicab along with USA swimmers Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte around 6 a.m”. The group, as well as Olympic officials, publicly expressed disappointment.
