Rio 2016 Olympics: US swimmers ordered to remain in Rio to answer Inquiry about Ryan Lochte’s alleged robbery
Team USA swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were pulled from their plane back home to answer some question about the recently reported robbery incident involving Ryan Lochte's alleged robbery in Rio, Brazil.
Lochte and three other swimmers were out for a Saturday night party and decided to go home early Sunday morning when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint.
Lochte narrated that their taxi was pulled over by men with a police badge. He added that the guys pulled out their guns and told the Olympic swimmers to get down on the ground. Lochte refused to do so. That is when one of the men pulled out his gun, pointed it on his forehead and took their belongings except his cellphone and ID.
But in a later interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer, Lochte changed some of the story’s details and no longer said that their taxi was pulled over or that a man pointed a gun at him.
In Lochte’s new version of the story, he claimed that they were ambushed after using the restroom at the gas station and the gun was pointed at his direction. Lauer asked Lochte if he had made up that story as cover up to a certain behaviour, but the swimmer "strongly denied" that allegation.
The discrepancies with the story caused the Brazilian authorities to be skeptical and decided to conduct further investigation. They were not yet able to track down the taxi driver involved or find any evidence to back up the swimmer’s claim.
Brazilian Judge Keyla Blank on Wednesday ordered Lochte and James Feigen, another swimmer involved in the incident, to stay in the country and have their passports confiscated.
According to Lochte’s father, Steve Lochte, his son has already left Brazil to return to the United States. Feigen, on the other hand, is still in Brazil and is expected to be summoned to answer some questions regarding the incident.
Feigen together with Conger and Bentz will have their passports confiscated and won’t be allowed to leave Rio until the investigation on the said incident is concluded.
