The story surrounding an alleged armed robbery involving U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte and his Olympic teammates in Rio continues to get more complicated.
Brazilian authorities now allege the American athletes fabricated the story. Here is what we know — and what we don’t know — about the alleged incident.
The original claims:
News of the robbery first emerged Sunday, a day after Olympic swimming ended in Rio.
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According to Lochte and the United States Olympic Committee, the swimmers were returning to the athletes’ village by taxi early Sunday morning after a night out at the French Olympic team’s hospitality house in the upscale south zone of the city. Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen – all members of the U.S. swim team – were with Lochte.
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“We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over,” Lochte said on NBC‘s “Today” show. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground.”
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Lochte said the attackers took his money and his wallet, but left his cellphone and credentials.
The confusion:
Initially Mar Adams, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee, said Lochte’s allegations about the robbery were “absolutely not true.”
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He then retracted his statement, saying he had received the wrong information from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The USOC then put out a statement confirming the athlete’s had been robbed.
Lochte and his teammates also didn’t call police right away after the robbery. Officers began investigating once they saw media reports in which Lochte’s mother spoke about the robbery.
Police interviewed Lochte and one other swimmer, who said they had been intoxicated and could not remember what type and color of taxi they rode in or where the robbery happened. The swimmers also could not say what time the events occurred, or when they left the French House.
A police official also told the Associated Press that Lochte and Feigen were unable to give basic details and contradicted each other’s stories.
Police have been unable to find the taxi driver or any witnesses.
Lochte changes his story:
In an interview with NBC Wednesday, Lochte clarified his original story about the robbery.
For example, he said the taxi was stopped at a gas station when the robbery occurred. He also retracted claims that one of the attackers held a gun to his forehead, saying the gun was only pointed in his direction.
Lochte goes home to the U.S., but his teammates get stuck in Rio:
On Wednesday a Brazilian judge ordered the four athletes to surrender their passports and stay in Brazil as the investigation into the robbery continues; however, Lochte made it back to the U.S. before the ruling could be enforced.
READ MORE: 2 US swimmers in Ryan Lochte robbery probe pulled off plane
Later in the day, Conger and Bentz were taken off their flight back to the U.S. The two swimmers are set to meet with Brazilian law enforcement Thursday to discuss the case. Feigen, who also remains in Brazil, will also meet with investigators.
The plot thickens:
Brazilian authorities said Thursday Lochte and his teammates lied about the robbery.
A report by ABC News said CCTV footage showed one of the U.S. athletes “breaking down the door to the bathroom at the gas station and fighting with a security guard” on the night of the alleged robbery.
The report, which cites police sources, adds that police believe the swimmers made up the story about the robbery.
An official, who has direct knowledge of the investigation, told the Associated Press that one of the athletes tried but failed to open the door of an outside bathroom at the gas station. A few of the swimmers then pushed on the door and broke it. A security guard appeared and confronted them.
The official says the guard was armed with a pistol, but he never took it out or pointed it at the swimmers.
According to the official, the gas station manager then arrived. Using a customer to translate, the manager asked the swimmers to pay for the broken door. After a discussion, they did pay him an unknown amount of money and then left.
– With files from The Associated Press
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