Ryan Lochte claims he was held up at gun point in Rio
TWO of the US swimmers who were with superstar Ryan Lochte the night he claimed to be robbed at gunpoint have been detained at Rio airport on their way home.
Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were escorted off their plane for questioning. It is understood their passports will be confiscated so they cannot leave Brazil but they will be released from custody and questioned tomorrow.
Patrick Sandusky, a USOC spokesman, confirmed the pair were detained by police.
“We can confirm that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities. We are gathering further information.”
Steve Bentz, father of Gunnar Bentz, when reached by phone late Wednesday night, said: “I really don’t want to say anything,” and hung up.
American athletes Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger at Rio airport after being removed from their flight. Picture: Globo EsporteSource:Supplied
The hold-up story took a curious turn when a Rio judge all-but accused Lochte and his three teammates of making the whole thing up.
He ordered all of their passports be seized and they be brought in for further questioning. Unfortunately, Lochte had already flown home and is at the hairdresser getting his grey hair dyed back to his natural colour.
The other swimmer Jimmy Feigen is still in Rio and the US swim team said they were cooperating with police.
The plane carrying Betz and Conger and other swimmers was on the tarmac when it was boarded by federal police and the pair asked to leave. A member of US swim team administration is understood to be with the swimmers.
Lochte’s colourful description of a carload of fake cops cocking their guns at his head and ordering him to “get down” has been mocked by disbelieving locals.
Rio police say there are inconsistencies in the stories told them by Lochte and Feigen, so they want to interview them to clear things up.
Ryan Lochte claims he was held up at gun point in RioSource:AP
Steve Lochte said his son had called him Tuesday (Wednesday EST) after arriving home in the US, telling him he was going to pick up his car and buy a new wallet to replace the one that was stolen from him during the robbery.
“I’m just happy he’s safe,” the elder Lochte said. “It was an unfortunate experience for him and the other three.
“I don’t know what all the controversy is. They were basically taken out of the taxi and robbed.
“The main thing is he’s very lucky that he’s safe and that all they got was his cash and wallet.”
A snapchat image of Ryan Lochte and Connor Dwyer. Taken out on the night they claim to have been robbedSource:Supplied
Lochte’s Florida-based attorney said the swimmer had fully cooperated with the police investigation.
“I can’t talk right now,” Feigen reportedly told his local paper, the San Antonio Express-News.
“I’m being s----stormed right now. I’m still in Brazil and (an interview) is going to have to wait.”
The United States OIympic Committee said it would not reveal the athlete’s location for “security” reasons.
“Local police arrived at the OIympic Village this a.m and asked to meet with Ryan Lochte and James Feigen and collect their passports in order to secure further testimony from the athletes,” said USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky.
“The swim team moved out of the village after their competition ended, so we were not able to make the athletes available.
“Additionally, as part of our standard security protocol, we do not make athlete travel plans public and therefore cannot confirm the athletes’ current location.
“We will continue to cooperate with Brazilian authorities.”
@RyanLochte is back in US but Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were pulled off a plane in Rio and Jimmy Feigen is still in Brazil.
— Anne Thompson (@annenbcnews) August 18, 2016
Brazilian media have cast doubt on the American swimmers’ claims of being robbed on Sunday, and the emergence Tuesday of CCTV footage showing them calmly returning to the athletes village prompted a local judge to issue the passport order.
“You can see the supposed victims arriving without signs of being physically or psychologically shaken, even joking amongst themselves,” Judge Keyla Blanc de Cnop said in a statement released to the media.
Lochte is the only one of the four to publicly discuss the alleged robbery, describing it in an interview with NBC.
“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.
“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.
More: Gunnar Bentz & Jack Conger were not named by Brazilian judge who wanted Lochte & Feigen's passports seized but now they are in limbo.
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) August 18, 2016
“And then 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 took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.”
Rio 2016 organisers have been daily embarrassed by violent crime despite promising to provide the “world’s safest city” during the Games, courtesy of an 85,000 strong security force.
The Lochte incident is by far the most high profile and Lochte’s lawyer said he believed authorities were trying to deflect attention from the criticism of their country.
“My client has cooperated thoroughly with the Brazilian authorities and stands behind his statement.”
Originally published as Plot thickens in Ryan Lochte hold-up furore
