Police interviewed Lochte and one other swimmer, who said they had been intoxicated and could not remember what type and color of taxi they rode in or where the robbery happened, the police official said.
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Lochte’s teammates Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were pulled off a flight and their passports seized.
(AP Photo/Mauro Pimentel). American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz, left, and Jack Conger, center, leave the police station at Rio International airport early Thursday Aug. 18, 2016.
Lochte was Ralph Lauren’s most prominent Olympic spokesman, having a deal with the official clothing brand that has produced Team USA’s opening and closing ceremony outfits since December 2011. “Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings”.
Veloso said that there “was no robbery in the way it was reported by the athletes” and that “they were not the victim of the criminal act they described”, the New York Times reported.
According to Lochte’s account, $400 was stolen from them.
Meanwhile, Jeff Ostrow, Mr. Lochte’s attorney, said there is no question the robbery occurred and his client is sticking to his story.
Exactly when did the four swimmers leave the party?
Police said that witnesses were initially afraid to speak to police because of the possibility of retaliation from the high-profile foreign athletes involved.
Brazilian investigators found inconsistencies in their stories, and a judge forbid Lochte and Jimmy Feigen from leaving the country so police could gather further testimonies.
Lochte had given statements on the reported robbery to the Rio tourist police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department and the USOC security team.
The official said the swimmers broke the bathroom door and a soap dispenser inside. The cab they arrived in then leaves. The next thing we see is the swimmers sitting on the curb with their hands in the air. After several minutes of talking, they stand up and appear to exchange something – perhaps cash – with one of the men. Veloso said the guards did not use excessive force and would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes “were conducting themselves in a violent way”.
ABC reported Thursday that Rio de Janerio officials have video footage of a swimmer breaking down a gas station bathroom and a fight with a security guard.
The admission came as the swimmers were taken into police custody to answer questions, following their removal from the plane that was set to take them back to the States. A few people in the crowd shouted at them, calling them “liars” and “shameful”. It is not clear where Feigen is. If the security guards were overstepping their bounds, or if the drunk swimmers were confused and disoriented by the situation, that would mitigate their role in this whole embarrassing incident.
Lochte told NBC News’ Matt Lauer on Wednesday that the swimmers had used a restroom at a gas station and when they got back to their taxi, the driver didn’t move. “They pulled out their guns”.
“I respect the athletic performance of Ryan, and as long as he is a respectable athlete, he will remain a USA ambassador for airweave as long as our partnership agreement remains effective”. Lochte originally claimed he had a gun pointed at his head, but now says he only had a gun pointed at him.
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Right about now, gold medalist and swimmer Ryan Lochte could be capitalizing on the endorsement deals and publicity that typically greet Olympians when they return to the U.S.
