Ryan Lochte’s 2016 Summer Olympic experience has been incredibly bizarre.
Lochte and three other USA swimmers said they were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning after a night out in Rio de Janeiro, but police investigating those reports say they haven’t found any evidence to support the accounts, according to The Associated Press.
Now, Lochte and teammate Jimmy Feigen have been ordered to remain in Brazil, though Lochte already has returned to the United States, according to his agent.
Lochte and Feigen were joined by fellow swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger during their night out. According to Lochte and the United States Olympic Committee, the four swimmers were returning to the Olympic Village by taxi when individuals posing as armed police officers robbed them.
Authorities said the group did not call police, according to The AP. Police began investigating the situation only after media reports surfaced.
A police official told The AP that Lochte and one other swimmer interviewed by police could not say what time the alleged robbery occurred or when they left where they had been prior. The other swimmer also said they had been intoxicated and could not remember what type and color of taxi they rode in or where the robbery happened, the police official told The AP.
Nevertheless, Judge Keyla Blank said there were inconsistencies in the testimony of the two swimmers. According to court documents obtained Wednesday by USA TODAY, Blank watched surveillance video of the swimmers arriving at the Olympic Village following the alleged incident and said it appeared they were joking with each other rather than appearing upset.
Investigators need more time to determine whether the swimmers are guilty of filing a false police report, the judge wrote, according to USA TODAY.
This all is very strange, especially with an International Olympic Committee spokesperson initially saying reports of the robbery were “absolutely not true” before then reversing course and apologizing.
Stay tuned.
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports Images
