“They had gone to the bathroom in a gas station”, NBC’s Matt Lauer said after speaking with Lochte, as reported by USA Today.
Advertisement
Lochte originally claimed they were returning from a night of partying when they were robbed at gunpoint, but authorities say he concocted the story to cover up what actually happened with him, Maryland native Jack Conger and their two teammates. They then walked a block down the street and took another taxi back to the Olympic Village. Bentz says he was the one who urged everyone to do as they were told, which included paying about $70 to the men in exchange for being allowed to leave. “Through the interpreter, one of the guards said that we needed to pay them in order to leave”, he recalled.
A station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help as an interpreter, Veloso said.
American flags and signs decorate the home of Jack Conger’s family in Rockville. “Then the second guard drew his weapon and both guards pointed their guns at us and yelled at us to sit on a nearby sidewalk”.
“The IOC has named a disciplinary commission and there will be an inquiry into the four swimmers”, the official said. “There was no robbery as the swimmers described it”, civil police chief Fernando Veloso told a news conference.
That escalated to Conger and Bentz being removed from their flight at a Rio airport and detained Wednesday night for further questioning about the alleged robbery incident.
Lochte also changed his original account about the robbers putting a gun to his forehead.
Lochte, Bentz and Conger have returned to the United States, but Feigen remains in Brazil.
Michael Phelps finally broke his silence on the Ryan Lochte scandal. “I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons”.
IOC disciplinary commissions have the power to issue sanctions, but it is an entity separate from the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Swimming and FINA, the worldwide governing body for swimming.
Lochte also did not, however, roll back on his allegations the swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police.
Advertisement
“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”, Lochte said on Instagram. Instead, Brazilian police said the men, while intoxicated, vandalized a gas station bathroom and were questioned by armed guards before they paid for the damage and left.
