U.S. Swimmers Detained In Rio Pass Through Miami
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Two American swimmers, who were detained in Brazil, landed on a flight Friday morning at Miami International Airport.
Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were finally able to leave the country after testifying before a judge in a robbery scandal that included gold medalist Ryan Lochte. The pair made their way through MIA's terminal so they could catch their connecting flights. They did not say anything to the waiting media.
Bentz, Conger, Lochte and Jimmy Feigen claimed they were robbed at gunpoint by several men at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities say that's a lie.
Brazilian police said the four were drunk when they vandalized a bathroom at the gas station around 6 a.m. Sunday.
The closed-circuit video shows one of the swimmers pulling a sign off of a wall and dropping it onto the ground. A gas station worker arrives, and other workers inspect the damage. Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror.
When they tried to leave, a security guard pulled a gun on the swimmers, forcing them to get out of a cab and down on the ground. The athletes then paid for the damage and left.
That's a very different story from what Lochte told the media Monday about what happened.
"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. Then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead. He took our money, he took my wallet," Lochte said Monday.
"No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed," Veloso said during a news conference.
On Friday, Lochte issued an apology on Instagram.
Lochte and his teammates spent the hours before the gas station incident partying at a club in Rio.
Video of them arriving back a the Olympic Village shows them going through the security gates. They appear to be joking around and have their watches and cell phones with them, items many believe would have been taken in a robbery.
On Thursday Bentz and Conger were removed from a plane and taken to the police headquarters at International departures of Rio de Janiero's Galeo International airport for questioning.
Brazilians chanted "liar" as they left the police building.
"They did not lie in their statements. They never lied to journalists. They only stayed quiet. They did not know what was going on," attorney Sergio Riera said.
Feigen provided an updated statement to police, U.S. Olympic officials said, and hoped to get his passport back shortly to return home. He'll reportedly pay a Brazilian charity $11,000 for his part in the scandal.
The swimmers could potentially face punishment — probation, suspension, a fine or expulsion — under USA Swimming's code of conduct. It was not clear if the swimmers would face criminal charges, though police said the athletes could be charged with destruction of property, falsely reporting a crime or both.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
