Ryan Lochte and his buddies allegedly vandalized a gas station
There are reports stating that U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte and his teammates (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen) vandalized a gas station after a night of drinking.
During an appearance on CNN’s “Wolf,” CNN Senior International Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh told Brianna Keilar that a police source alleged the swimmers were intoxicated and that they tore down a sign in a gas station.
Walsh quoted a police source as saying, “There was not, actually, a robbery there.”
Walsh also referenced a Brazilian media source, Globo, which reported that the swimmers urinated in a “side alley” near the gas station.
Walsh told Keilar that the swimmers’ alleged behavior led to a confrontation between them and the gas station staff.
And according to Walsh, the gas station owner decided not to press charges after he and the swimmers came to an agreement.
This past Sunday, Lochte told everyone that he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men dressed as police officers.
Lochte stated that the robbers pulled the taxi over, ordered the swimmers out, and then “pointed a gun to his forehead.”
Lochte said that he refused at first but decided to comply after the alleged robber “pointed a gun to his forehead.”
According to Lochte, the robbers took his money and wallet but left his cell phone and Olympic credentials.
His mother, Lleana Lochte , confirmed the incident to USA TODAY Sports. U.S. Olympic Spokesman Patrick Sandusky said that they were aware of the incident.
However, a spokesman with the International Olympic Committee said the reports were “absolutely not true.” Brazilian authorities began to doubt the swimmers’ story.
Major points of concern are the inconsistencies in the swimmers’ stories and their behaviors after the alleged attack.
Two crucial parts are where the swimmers were robbed and the actions of the robbers.
The Associated Press cited a police source who stated that the swimmers couldn’t remember important details like the color of the taxi and the location of the robbery.
Lochte has changed some parts of his story. He is now saying that they were robbed at a gas station and that a gun was pointed at him.
CNN showed the video, which Globo released, of Lochte and his teammates at the gas station.
The video shows Lochte and his teammates walking out of the gas station. It also shows them calmly getting into a taxi.
When viewing the video, a person can clearly see that no robbery occurred. The area around the gas pumps is well lit and everyone is moving around with no problems.
In fact, there are several cars at the gas station and at least two staff members standing near the swimmers’ taxi.
The swimmers’ statements and behavior on the video resulted in a judge ordering the court to seize their passports.
Lochte made it out of the country on Tuesday. Yesterday, Bentz and Conger were detained by the police as they were boarding their flight. Feigen has yet to be found.
The Associated Press spoke to Gunnar Bentz’s father, Steve Bentz. The elder Bentz told the Associated Press, “I really don’t want to say anything.”
Lochte father, Steve Lochte, stuck with his son’s earlier claims. The elder Lochte told the Associated Press, “I don’t know what all the controversy is. They were basically taken out of the taxi and robbed.”
Keilar spoke with U.S. State Department Spokesman John Kirby. Keilar asked Kirby if the State Department had any information about the case.
Kirby responded that he could not go into detail but that the State Department has been “monitoring press reports” about the alleged incident.
Kirby also made it clear to Keilar that this is not an incident the State Department will be interjecting its self into: “This is really an issue for the parties to talk about and not for the State Department.”
The incident has become a big scandal for the 12 time Olympic medalist, Ryan Lochte.
Ryan Lochte was trending on Twitter, where people made endless jokes about him being robbed.
Erin Gloria tweeted , “Maybe Ryan Lochte wasn’t held up at gunpoint in Brazil; he just accidentally wandered into the skeet shooting range drunk.”
April tweeted that she had figured out what happened and that Lochte’s story was due to his fear of what his mother would do to him for losing his wallet: “Has Ryan Lochte created an international incident because he was afraid his mom was going to put him in timeout for losing his wallet.”
Josh Greeman and Caro hinted that people like Ryan Lochte are quite common and have a tendency to just make stuff up.
Caro tweeted, “We all knowa Ryan Lochte. Think about yours. This whole thing…It makes sense.”
Greeman retweeted Caro and wrote, “If you don’t know your Ryan Lochte, you are your Ryan Lochte.”
During an appearance on CNN’s “Wolf,” CNN Senior International Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh told Brianna Keilar that a police source alleged the swimmers were intoxicated and that they tore down a sign in a gas station.
Walsh quoted a police source as saying, “There was not, actually, a robbery there.”
Walsh also referenced a Brazilian media source, Globo, which reported that the swimmers urinated in a “side alley” near the gas station.
Walsh told Keilar that the swimmers’ alleged behavior led to a confrontation between them and the gas station staff.
And according to Walsh, the gas station owner decided not to press charges after he and the swimmers came to an agreement.
This past Sunday, Lochte told everyone that he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men dressed as police officers.
Lochte stated that the robbers pulled the taxi over, ordered the swimmers out, and then “pointed a gun to his forehead.”
Lochte said that he refused at first but decided to comply after the alleged robber “pointed a gun to his forehead.”
According to Lochte, the robbers took his money and wallet but left his cell phone and Olympic credentials.
His mother, Lleana Lochte , confirmed the incident to USA TODAY Sports. U.S. Olympic Spokesman Patrick Sandusky said that they were aware of the incident.
However, a spokesman with the International Olympic Committee said the reports were “absolutely not true.” Brazilian authorities began to doubt the swimmers’ story.
Major points of concern are the inconsistencies in the swimmers’ stories and their behaviors after the alleged attack.
Two crucial parts are where the swimmers were robbed and the actions of the robbers.
The Associated Press cited a police source who stated that the swimmers couldn’t remember important details like the color of the taxi and the location of the robbery.
Lochte has changed some parts of his story. He is now saying that they were robbed at a gas station and that a gun was pointed at him.
CNN showed the video, which Globo released, of Lochte and his teammates at the gas station.
The video shows Lochte and his teammates walking out of the gas station. It also shows them calmly getting into a taxi.
When viewing the video, a person can clearly see that no robbery occurred. The area around the gas pumps is well lit and everyone is moving around with no problems.
In fact, there are several cars at the gas station and at least two staff members standing near the swimmers’ taxi.
The swimmers’ statements and behavior on the video resulted in a judge ordering the court to seize their passports.
Lochte made it out of the country on Tuesday. Yesterday, Bentz and Conger were detained by the police as they were boarding their flight. Feigen has yet to be found.
The Associated Press spoke to Gunnar Bentz’s father, Steve Bentz. The elder Bentz told the Associated Press, “I really don’t want to say anything.”
Lochte father, Steve Lochte, stuck with his son’s earlier claims. The elder Lochte told the Associated Press, “I don’t know what all the controversy is. They were basically taken out of the taxi and robbed.”
Keilar spoke with U.S. State Department Spokesman John Kirby. Keilar asked Kirby if the State Department had any information about the case.
Kirby responded that he could not go into detail but that the State Department has been “monitoring press reports” about the alleged incident.
Kirby also made it clear to Keilar that this is not an incident the State Department will be interjecting its self into: “This is really an issue for the parties to talk about and not for the State Department.”
The incident has become a big scandal for the 12 time Olympic medalist, Ryan Lochte.
Ryan Lochte was trending on Twitter, where people made endless jokes about him being robbed.
Erin Gloria tweeted , “Maybe Ryan Lochte wasn’t held up at gunpoint in Brazil; he just accidentally wandered into the skeet shooting range drunk.”
April tweeted that she had figured out what happened and that Lochte’s story was due to his fear of what his mother would do to him for losing his wallet: “Has Ryan Lochte created an international incident because he was afraid his mom was going to put him in timeout for losing his wallet.”
Josh Greeman and Caro hinted that people like Ryan Lochte are quite common and have a tendency to just make stuff up.
Caro tweeted, “We all knowa Ryan Lochte. Think about yours. This whole thing…It makes sense.”
Greeman retweeted Caro and wrote, “If you don’t know your Ryan Lochte, you are your Ryan Lochte.”
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