American swimmer Ryan Lochte, a six-time Olympic Gold medalist, was held at gunpoint along with three other US athletes by robbers impersonating police officers near the Olympic village on Sunday Morning.
"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 Sports. "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 on the ground,” explained the twelve-time Olympic medalist. “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."
US Olympic Committee Spokesman Patrick Sandusky explained the incident saying "According to four members of the US Olympic Swimming Team (Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen), they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic village, but 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."
The story of the robbery comes after the swimmer initially denied the incident earlier in the day in an interview with The Associated Press calling the claims that he was held at gunpoint "absolutely not true"
The Associated Press (@AP) August 14, 2016
Ryan Lochte’s mother Ileana broke the story, however, when reached by USA Today indicating that there was a robbery but that Lochte and the other swimmers were unharmed in the incident. Lochte’s mother explained that the cab had stopped to get gas when the swimmers were robbed by men with knives and guns.
Lochte won his sixth gold medal on Wednesday as part of the men’s 4x200 freestyle relay. The swimmer plans to participate in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
