US Olympic swimmers detained after no evidence found in Ryan Lochte robbery
- 8 years ago
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — A Brazilian judge has ordered U.S. Olympic swimmers Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen to remain in the country after authorities found no evidence proving that they were robbed at gunpoint.
Reuters reports that Ryan Lochte and three teammates claim they were victims of an armed robbery while on a taxi ride back to the Olympic Village on Sunday morning. The robbers allegedly took their wallets and cash, but left behind the phones and credentials.
Lochte and Feigen have talked to the authorities, but could not remember what color their taxi was or where exactly the crime took place, according to the New York Times. And while Lochte said there was only one robber, teammate Jimmy Feigen claimed there were more men, but only one had a gun.
Authorities found it suspicious that the four didn’t seem traumatized by the mugging, and that security camera footage showed them were joking around as they arrived at the athlete’s village the same morning.
By the time a judge issued an order to get Lochte and Feigen’s passports, the athletes had left the village.
Nothing could be done about Lochte, who was already back in the U.S. But Feigen was still in Rio, and has not been allowed to leave the country.
Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, the two other swimmers involved in the alleged crime, were pulled off their flight Wednesday night and must stay in Brazil for questioning, according to NBC.
Another athlete, meanwhile, has come forward with claims of being similarly robbed at gunpoint, reports the New York Daily News. The unnamed British track and field athlete was reportedly victimized early Tuesday morning, and is uninjured.
Reuters reports that Ryan Lochte and three teammates claim they were victims of an armed robbery while on a taxi ride back to the Olympic Village on Sunday morning. The robbers allegedly took their wallets and cash, but left behind the phones and credentials.
Lochte and Feigen have talked to the authorities, but could not remember what color their taxi was or where exactly the crime took place, according to the New York Times. And while Lochte said there was only one robber, teammate Jimmy Feigen claimed there were more men, but only one had a gun.
Authorities found it suspicious that the four didn’t seem traumatized by the mugging, and that security camera footage showed them were joking around as they arrived at the athlete’s village the same morning.
By the time a judge issued an order to get Lochte and Feigen’s passports, the athletes had left the village.
Nothing could be done about Lochte, who was already back in the U.S. But Feigen was still in Rio, and has not been allowed to leave the country.
Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, the two other swimmers involved in the alleged crime, were pulled off their flight Wednesday night and must stay in Brazil for questioning, according to NBC.
Another athlete, meanwhile, has come forward with claims of being similarly robbed at gunpoint, reports the New York Daily News. The unnamed British track and field athlete was reportedly victimized early Tuesday morning, and is uninjured.