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US Swimmers Not Robbed, Brazilian Police Say

A source from the Rio police, however, told the website that the gas station manager claims the guard NEVER pulled his gun and the manager merely asked them to pay, which they did.

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Security video confirmed that the athletes had tried to break their way into a shuttered bathroom.

But officers in Rio have publicly questioned that version of events and CCTV footage emerged of the four men returning to the Olympic Village, seemingly in jovial mood.

Workers at the gas station went to see what the commotion was about, the official said.

Brazilian authorities are accusing Ryan Lochte and three other swimmers of fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio by men posing as police officers.

Police said the swimmers were confronted by security guards carrying guns after leaving a party at the French hospitality house. Then, the official said, the station manager demanded money to pay for the door.

Veloso said the group paid “for the damage they caused and leave before the police could arrive”. Blanc de Cnop said that Feigen, however, told police that the athletes were surprised by multiple robbers, but that only one was armed. Later, security footage shows the swimmers going through security to enter the Olympic Village. They had fun. They made a mistake.

G1 quoted Rio police saying that the athletes had stopped at the gas station in a taxi to use the bathroom.

Lochte arrived back in the United States, explaining that the swimmers didn’t initially tell the US Olympic Committee about the robbery out of fear of being punished, giving perhaps some explanation for the initial confusion. During a phone conversation with Matt Lauer on the Today show on Wednesday, August 17, however, Lochte said that a gun was simply pointed in his direction.

The remaining swimmers have had their passports seized pending interviews by Brazilian authorities.

Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger are in the process of scheduling a time to meet with authorities, USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said.

Lochte said the robbers stole his wallet but not his credentials and cellphone.

Keep in mind, Lochte’s story may have changed, but so did the Rio police’s.

A police official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that police can not find their taxi driver or witnesses.

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Representatives from the USA consulate arrived at the airport shortly after the swimmers were stopped from leaving.

Ryan Lochte attends an E! public relations event in New York City in 2013. Lochte starred in a short-lived reality show for the network that year called What Would Ryan Do