In the four days since Ryan Lochte and his United States of America swimming teammates Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger were reportedly robbed (then not robbed, then robbed) at gunpoint in Rio, a Brazilian judge ordered their passports be seized and prevented the swimmers who hadn’t yet left Rio from leaving the city because footage of the athletes holding what looked to be their wallets when they returned to the Olympic village that night emerged.
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Journalists surround American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz, left, and Jack Conger, center, as they leave the police station at Rio International airport early Thursday Aug. 18, 2016.
“I’m just happy he’s safe”.
“And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead, and he said, ‘Get down, ‘ and I put my hands up”.
Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz at Rio de Janeiro’s worldwide airport.
The two were taken off their flight from Brazil to the US on Wednesday by local authorities amid an investigation into a reported robbery targeting Ryan Lochte and his teammates.
“Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were detained Wednesday night shortly before their flight was scheduled to depart from Rio”, USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement Wednesday night. It said they had been released, with the understanding they would discuss the incident Thursday. “We are gathering further information”.
The elder Lochte said his son’s Olympic credential and cell phone weren’t taken during the incident early Sunday morning.
Ostrow said Conger and Bentz had not been specifically named by a Brazilian judge who had wanted Lochte and fellow USA swimmer Jimmy Feigen passports seized, but now they are in limbo.
Bentz and Conger, who both won gold medals in the 4×200 metres freestyle relay, claimed their taxi returning to the athletes’ village, which also had James Feigen and Ryan Lochte in it, was stopped by men posing as armed police who robbed them.
Instead of being pulled over by the men, Lochte said the swimmers stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom when the robbers showed up.
The official said that swimmers Conger and Bentz, who were pulled off a plane going back to the United States late Wednesday, told police that the robbery story had been fabricated.
The judge said that there were a number of inconsistencies in the swimmers’ allegations, particularly over the number of people involved in the robbery and the time that it took place and when they arrived back at the athletes’ village.
Lochte flew out of Brazil on Monday, before the order was issued, federal police said.
Steve Lochte said his son and the other three swimmers were just lucky of being safe after such disappointing incident. The other three men were stopped by police at Rio’s global airport on Wednesday evening, one police source said.
Ostrow has said there is no question the robbery happened. I don’t know what all the controversy is.
Brazilian authorities have stated that they have not found the driver of the taxi in question, and have raised other concerns regarding the validity of their claims. Lochte said he told authorities he was reachable and would cooperate.
However, Olympic officials have said police are still looking for key witnesses, including the driver of the cab the swimmers said they had been in.
They were allegedly ordered to get the ground, with the thieves taking their wallets and belongings.
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Ostrow said the video doesn’t show a complete picture of what happened, especially considering there is no audio.
