Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers were held up at gunpoint early Sunday morning.
Lochte described the incident to NBC on Sunday afternoon.
“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 said. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground โ they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so โ 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 โ he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”
His mother Ileana Lochte first confirmed the robbery to USA TODAY Sports on Sunday morning.
โI think theyโre all shaken up. There were a few of them,โ Ileana Lochte said. โNo, they were just, they just took their wallets and basically that was it.โ
Patrick Sandusky, spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, released a statement with details of the incident, although an International Olympic Committee spokesman initially called reports of the incident “absolutely not true.”
โAccording 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 a statement released Sunday afternoon. “Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletesโ money and other personal belongings. All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities.โ
Civil Police in Rio released a statement that it was investigating a robbery of U.S. swimmers.
Lochte, a 12-time Olympic medalist, won one gold medal here in Rio as part of the 4×200 freestyle relay. He has been done competing in the Games since Thursday, and the Olympic swimming competition ended Saturday night.
