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Internet buzzing over what really happened in US Olympic team alleged armed robbery

RYAN Lochte’s teammates have reportedly ratted him out, as newly released CCTV footage confirms the American swimming superstar was lying.

Victoria Craw and Charlotte Willis
3 min read
August 19, 2016 - 11:14AM
US gold medallist Ryan Lochte has had questions raised about his claims to have had a gun held to his head in Rio. Picture: Martin Bureau
US gold medallist Ryan Lochte has had questions raised about his claims to have had a gun held to his head in Rio. Picture: Martin Bureau

RYAN Lochte’s Olympic teammates have reportedly ratted him out to police.

Social media is abuzz with speculation about what really happened in the alleged robbery involving members of the US Olympic swim team, as new CCTV footage emerges from the petrol station where it is thought to have taken place.

Added to that fresh evidence is the testimony from Lochte’s teammates, who reportedly told police his story was a lie.

US swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger check in for flight out of Brazil today after testifying in the robbery probe, Associated Press reported.

Mystery deepened over the incident on Thursday when a Brazilian police source told US media that Lochte made up the robbery claim and the swimmers were actually involved in a fight with an armed security guard at the petrol station.

Rio’s police chief initially said on Thursday it was not clear if Lochte and fellow Team USA athletes would face any charges over the alleged fabrication, which caused huge embarrassment to Rio Olympics authorities.

“There was no robbery,” the head of the civil police, Fernando Veloso, told a press conference. “There was no robbery as reported by the athletes. They were not victims of the crime acts they reported. Police can already confirm that.”

However in developments on Friday morning, Rio police allegedly charged Lochte and fellow swimmer James Feigen with making a false police report, according to a local Brazilian TV station.

Local media reports said the four athletes stopped at the petrol station shortly after 6am on Sunday to use the bathroom, but it was locked. The swimmers then got into a fight after breaking the bathroom door.

Brazilian media outlet G1 said a security guard pulled his weapon on the group and forced them to stay until police arrived, prompting the confrontation.

ABC News quoted an unidentified Brazilian police source saying CCTV footage shows one of the swimmers “breaking down the door to the bathroom at [a] gas station and fighting with a security guard.” Police said the athletes “offered 100 reals and $20” to compensate for the damage.

A petrol station manager told Brazil’s O Globo newspaper that at one point during their visit, the men urinated outside the bathroom. “It was pure vandalism,” the unnamed owner said.

It comes after dramatic airport scenes that showed two of the men involved, Conger and Bentz, being pulled off their flight home and filmed walking through the airport in Rio to be interviewed by police.

Earlier that day, a Brazilian judge issued a warrant to search the Rio apartments of James Feigen and 12-time medallist Ryan Lochte, along with the other two men, after inconsistencies and a lack of evidence in the story.

However by that stage Lochte, 32, was already home in the US, contemplating whether to change the colour of his hair back from the silver locks he had sported in Rio.

None of the swimmers face any charges, however they could do if they are found to have fabricated claims, Brazilian officials said.

Earlier this week, the men claimed they were robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police who stopped their taxi when they were en route back to the Olympic village after a party on Sunday.

Lochte said the group was ordered to the ground and forced to hand over their wallets and possessions.

“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, I was like ‘whatever’,” he told NBC.

“He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”

Following the alleged attack, Lochte said he wanted to thank friends and fans for the “overwhelming support and concern”.

“While it is true that my teammates and I were victims of a robbery early Sunday morning, what is most important is that we are safe and unharmed.”

The incident caused widespread shock at the time given fears over violence and security that had hung over the games. Adding to the confusion was the fact the event was initially denied by the International Olympic Committee before Brazilian authorities later apologised.

“These kids tried to have fun, they tried to represent their country to the best of their abilities,” the Rio 2016 spokesman, Mário Andrada, told reporters.

“They competed under gigantic pressure. Let’s give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret. They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on.”

US Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky said Bentz, Conger and Feigen are co-operating with police and “in the process of scheduling a time and place today to provide further statements to Brazilian authorities.”

“All are represented by counsel and being appropriately supported by the USOC and the US Consulate in Rio,” he said.

The mystery surrounding the event has seen armchair detectives light up social media with speculation about #Lochtegate and claims of a #Lochmess.

One thing is for certain — we haven’t heard the last of this Olympic drama yet.

— With wires

Originally published as Internet buzzing over what really happened in US Olympic team alleged armed robbery

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