Matt Hazlett/Getty Images(RIO DE JANEIRO) — Four U.S. swimmers said to have been held up at gunpoint were not robbed and were not victims, Brazilian police said in a press conference Thursday.
The chief of Civil Police said one or more of the U.S. Olympians had vandalized a bathroom of a gas station after they left a party early Sunday morning.
The athletes broke mirrors and damaged things inside, police said. The athletes initially refused to stay, but security asked the taxi not to leave. A third person stepped in to translate between the athletes and the guards, and the athletes left money, police said.
The police chief added that a taxi driver picked up two women from the same party, and the women said they were “dating” or had relations with the swimmers.
Police added that witnesses were initially afraid to speak to police because of retaliation from the high-profile foreign athletes involved.
Swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed on Sunday that he and three teammates – Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and James Feigen – were robbed in a taxi early that morning while heading to the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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