Jason Lee’s harrowing tale of kidnapping and robbery undoubtedly will frighten some visitors to the 2016 Olympics games in Rio de Janeiro.
The New Zealand Jiu Jitsu fighter said Sunday that police kidnapped and robbed him last weekend in Rio de Janeiro, making him fear for his life in the host city of this summer’s Olympic games. In an interview with Stuff.co.nz, Lee detailed how armed men in uniform turned a traffic stop into a crime of their own making, according to ESPN.
“He (an officer) says, ‘You can’t drive in Brazil as a foreigner without a passport,’ which I now know isn’t the case at all,” Lee told Stuff.co.nz. The rental car company hadn’t mentioned that to me. He starts opening the book, showing me all these passages in Portuguese, which I can sort of read, like, every third word.”
They then demanded Lee give them money or spend the night in jail.
“At this point, I acknowledged to myself that I’ve completely backed myself into a corner,” Lee said. “These guys have pulled me over. They have weapons. I’m not in any position to negotiate.
Less said the police drove him to an undisclosed location, forced him into a private car and drove him to two ATMs, from which he withdrew 2,000 Brazilian Reais (about $612) and handed it to the officers for the sake of his freedom.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I could possibly die.”
Lee has been living and training in Rio de Janeiro for the last 10 months. But he won’t compete at the games because jiu jitsu isn’t an Olympic sport.
While foreign visitors will gasp at Lee’s experience, they also should spare a thought for those who must endure the ongoing menaces of crime and corruption in the Brazilian metropolis for their entire lives.
Photo via YouTube/Question Answers
