Rio de Janeiro police officials and Olympics organizers allege that U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte and three other athletes robbed at gunpoint this weekend delayed notifying police and lodged contradicting reports tainted by their admission of consuming alcohol that night.
The new reports of police suspicion regarding their robbery follows a remark by Brazil’s Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani that the athletes’ assault was a product of their straying from the Olympic Village, not a security failure by his government or the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Brazilian newspaper O Globo reports that police have noted that Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen – all returning home from a party Saturday night – have provided police with contradictory details. According to police, Lochte told police their taxi was stopped in a false “police blitz” by armed men displaying badges. Feigen, meanwhile, said the taxi pulled over of its own accord before the robbers approached. – READ MORE
