The 2016 Rio Olympics took a scary turn Saturday night when four USA swimmers were robbed at gunpoint.
Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were victims of a robbery, which an International Olympic Committee member originally denied to The Associated Press. That caused quite the commotion Sunday morning as conflicting reports emerged, but the robbery later was confirmed by Lochte in an interview with NBC News.
“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 told NBC News. “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.
“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 cell phone, he left my credentials.”
U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky provided more details on the robbery in a statement, via USA TODAY Sports.
“According to four members of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte), they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village,” Sandusky said in the statement. “Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings. All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities.”
Everyone is safe, but it certainly must have been a scary moment for Lochte and the other American swimmers.
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports Images
