Sad news for all of us JEAH fans: Ryan Lochte was mugged at gunpoint in Rio. Lochte and the American swim team had finished up their part of the Olympics by Saturday, so Lochte decided to go out partying with some other swimmers late in the evening. Lochte and three other swimmers (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen) were making their way back to the Olympic village via taxi, and the taxi was stopped by some armed muggers who threatened them and robbed them at gunpoint. At first, both the IOC and Lochte’s personal coach denied that the robbery had taken place, but Lochte’s mother insisted that it did, and later on Sunday, Lochte spoke directly to NBC about the incident, saying:
“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 — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — 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 — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”
“I was like ‘Whatever.'” I know he’s probably in shock, but only Ryan Lochte would say “whatever” at gunpoint. It sounds terrifying and he’s absolutely in shock though. After that, the Team USA spokesperson confirmed that it did happen and that the muggers were posed as armed police officers. All of the swimmers involved are “cooperating with authorities.” This must have been so scary for Lochte and the other swimmers, my God. Here’s part of the video interview with Lochte:
And he also posted this on Twitter last night. He really means it about going to Tokyo in 2020 too! And it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.
https://t.co/LgkoJe4qkm pic.twitter.com/Ed3V6vWhuf
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) August 14, 2016
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Didn’t the IOC say that this never happened?
Thank God it was only a shakedown
Among athletes training in Rio one or two years before the Games, there were several such incidents that I can recall. None were publicized by their teams or by the IOC.
Actually the IOC finally admitted that it did happen. They are not who I would rely on for facts. They did try to lessen the impact at first.
That’s not the first time.
PS, Rio was NOT ready.
The IOC is a criminal shakedown organization. But I digress.
It’s suspicious to me that the taxi driver pulled over if there were no sirens or other obvious signals that the people in the car behind them were in fact police–or were they already parked at the gas station and the people were already waiting there and just got out of the car and walked up to them? Either way, I need the name and badge number of the taxi driver. My Spidey sense is tingling….
–TheRealPinky
I thought the same thing when I read the account… the taxi driver was in cahoots with the muggers.
That’s why you need to be careful about what kind of cabs you get into in a foreign country. There are all sorts of scams, from the relatively minor (the driver demanding more money in the middle of nowhere) to dangerous (being kidnapped or robbed). Always do due diligence yourself to make sure the cab is licensed, as licensed cabs in any country have to display permits, and don’t assume that just because someone puts you in a cab (like I’m guessing happened at this venue) it’ll be safe. The last time I got scammed we caught the cab from the official stand at the airport, who apparently didn’t actually check for anything.
They did deny. And on the news this morning, they said Lochte could be in trouble with the IOC, but gave no details as to why. The only thing I could think of was that he had the gall to publicize the incident when they were trying to keep it under wraps. How dare he not get on board with their cover up! They also made a point of stating that the swimmers were so drunk they were unable to give police descriptions of the assailants. Umm, so? I don’t understand why anyone drinks to excess in that way, but they were out celebrating, and they were taking a cab back, so they weren’t doing anything wrong. Now the IOC is putting out that little tidbit to try to victim blame.
Makes you wonder just how many incidents the IOC has covered up.
There’s videos on facebook going around of locals running up to people and robbing them, pulling things out of their hands through bus windows, riding on bikes and attacking people ripping off jewelry and stuff. It’s insane.
You would think these guys would have bodyguards.
Rio is such a dangerous place.
A friend and I visited Chile last year on vacation. Had a blast! We made friends with some Brazilians who told us they don’t even feel comfortable in their own country, and that they won’t vacation anywhere near Rio because of how dangerous it is there. They said they leave the country to vacation, and said they wish they could recommend we visit Rio, but that it would be too dangerous, for me in particular because I am so pale/redhead. The man said his brother, a native Brazilian, was beaten and robbed for being “too pale, and looking like a visitor” (his words, not mine).
It is a mess down there, and the cost of this Olympics isn’t going to help the financial crunch they are already feeling.
This is one hell of an Olympics with all the violence and attacks on the Olympic visitors. I’d be hugely embarrasses if I were Rio and the Olympic committee for choosing Rio. They may not have been physically hurt but a gun in your face is trauma enough. The green pool, the trash in the water during boat races, the body parts that washed ashore. Good grief. It wasn’t a safe city to choose and they can’t change overnight. Certainly not in 4 years for temporary visitors.
Obviously this kind of thing doesn’t happen in this safe place known as USA.
The US doesn not have to be safe to render Rio less dangerous. Besides, comparing a city to an entire country won’t really yield equitable data.
yeah, what’s up with that weird comparison?
Jimmy Feigen did an AMA and he said it really wasnt as bad as the media painted it. That the only bad thing he could complain was about the food. I wonder if he has changed his mind after this experience.
PS: Jimmy also said the swim team, him too, use Bumble. So theres that.
Body parts also wash up on the shores of Japan and Washington and Alaska.
The green pool water is due to chemical reactions with peroxyde.
The danger of armed robbery in Sao Paulo and Rio is big, but it isn’t exactly minuscule in LA, SF, NYC or other large metropolitan areas in the US.
I’m sorry about that, but it feels like an episode of any US cop show. And, what a nice mugger to leave behind what are probably the latest models iPhones! Humm… It doesn’t add up.
Cell phones have GPS tracking.
Also in very poor areas lots of times the muggers will leave behind cell phones and ID and such for many reasons, one of which is that they may be punished less severely, especially if they are stealing from out-of-towners.
I was robbed and they dropped my purse with my phone just around the block. They only took my wallet out. My brother had the tracker on my phone live in under 5 mins, so we were able to get my phone and purse back, but yeah, you can track phones. The police told me most criminals drop the phones these days.
Not sure what the purpose of lying about this would be? (if that’s what you’re implying. possibly not). If given the choice to believe the IOC or pretty much any second option, go with the second option.
I’m glad to hear he was unharmed, truly I am.
But as talented of a swimmer he is, I had forgotten how he’s a bit of a dumb jock. One doesn’t go “whatever” at gun point and reason with gun shooters that he didn’t “do anything wrong.” Now I’m revisiting his interviews, and I am losing it because the things that come out of his mouth is priceless.
It’s not like it was a live re-enactment. Lochte isn’t exactly the type to wax philosophical anyway, but on this one I’m not going to jump on his choice of words.
Seriously — if there is a person anywhere in the world who I can imagine saying “Whatever” when someone points a gun at his head, it’s Ryan Lochte. He’s like Channing Tatum’s character in “21/22 Jump Street” in the flesh.
When I read about his account, although I was totally horrified but relieved they weren’t hurt, I had to laugh at his “whatever” because it is so him. He is the real live Spicoli.
@JT
Though he’s a bit of a dumb jock (and maybe shouldnt have gone outside the village if he heard how dangerous it was) one might say stupid things regardless of smarts and try to reason in that situation.
As someone who has been held at gunpoint and knife point I can say that you never react how you might think due to shock. I told the robber who held a gun that “you must be joking…and are you serious” as well as tried to reason with them. I never though I would do something like that in that situation but I never thought Id ever be in that situation.
I wouldnt be surprised if he did say “whatever “in his shock and tried to reason with the robbers.
*note that this was at my place of work and I havent been able to return to that place ever…got a new job as a teacher.
Yes @Bee. I too was robbed at gunpoint when I was 21. Sawed off shotgun in my back. Robber pushed me and told me to “run.” I turned to him and said, “I don’t run for anyone.” My friend ran and I stood there. Robber and his buddies looked at me like I was crazy and they ran away.
Two hours later, after police interviews, I LOST it after I found out my brother had video taped over my soap opera with stupid football. (VHS tapes were expensive then, so we only had a few in the house and reused them.) I had a complete meltdown. It goes to show, shock affects people differently.
My brother still teases me about the ‘soap opera’ incident. 🙂
@Bee and @H: That makes sense. I personally never been robbed at gun point, and I don’t think I’m curious enough to know what I’ll do if it ever happens (hopefully not…). Thanks for providing perspective on this; my imagery of Ryan Lochte was basically him exercising his American human rights in a foreign country by going “bro, wtf” with robbers who may or may not understand him. Hence my inappropriate snickering about this. But perhaps it could’ve been also the spur of the moment. I’m just glad you both turned out okay!
That really sucks for him! I’m glad it wasn’t worse.
I personally am happy he’s coming back in Tokyo. I feel bad for him… If Michael Phelps wasn’t there, he would be the greatest swimmer of our time. But… he’s second. I’ve always liked him. I’ll never forget his wall of shoes and JEAH interviews. He’s just a lovable hot guy and the dumb stuff he says is so entertaining. I’m glad he’s not done–I hope he gets one Olympics all to himself.
Pre-Olympics, I really wanted to visit Rio. Now, not so much. Same thing with Russia and Sochi. What a disaster.
Eh maybe not. They (Phelps and Lochte) don’t even swim the same specialties so Ryan is to blame for his lukewarm showing. I would say Adrian is just as good as Lochte personally.
True! I meant about the number of medals, etc. He’s won a lot, but it’s nothing compared to Phelps.
Got it. Agreed then. Although Ryan gets a lot of endorsements so I think he does okay.
They do indeed have 2 of the same 3 specialties – IM and Free. The big difference is that Lochte doesn’t swim individual Fly events, though it’s possible that might have changed had Phelps not been there, since IM swimmers still have to be proficient.
I completely agree @Abby. There is not an unkind bone in the guy’s body. He’s just a purely sweet, goofy fella who likes to laugh, shop and swim. I will be sad when he’s not an athlete anymore, but I am glad he is taking time off and planning to come back for Tokyo.
Yeah, I’m curious what retirement will look like for him. Would he just do a bunch of cameos on TV shows and movies for the rest of his life? Can you see him in an office at a desk job?!?
I went to a wedding in Sao Paulo a few years ago, the bride was robbed at gun point the night before the wedding. They got the wedding deposit money and honeymoon tickets in the robbery. It can be a very scary place even for locals.
If i recall correctly, they placed a curfew on ATM machines (no longer 24hr) because people would roll up on stop signs with guns and force you to an ATM to give money at night.
I’m not surprised they left the cell phones, cell phones give gps and have to be unlocked led to be resold. Based on the details of this story, the robbers were looking for quick, easy cash. Same thing happens in many touristy places, happened in Rome to my sister.
It’s like robbing a puppy.
I can’t believe they went out late at night in Rio. They are so clearly tourists/athletes, I’m 100% sure they got the speech about NOT doing that. They might as well have written “Come get my money!” on the side of the taxi.
You are seriously blaming the victims?
You are seriously giving me the “victim blaming” response?
Do you go everywhere at all hours? If not, why? Do you run all over town with your purse wide open? No? Why? Because that’s life. There are areas in large cities that are dangerous. If common sense doesn’t tell you, the people who live there will.
Also, I didn’t blame anyone. I was expressing my lack of surprise that in a city full of very poor people, rich athletes are a target.
I agree with you, common sense about your surroundings isn’t a bad thing. I am sure the athletes were warned to be careful and not stay out late. Not blaming the victims here…. But still…..I live in NYC and you will not catch me jogging in Central Park from sundown to atleast 10 am.
seems like the taxi driver may have been complicit. With that level of extreme poverty mixed with $$$, there are probably many networked schemes going on.
They were invited to a party by one of the Brazilian swimmers, and it was at a high end venue. It’s not like they were just wandering around Rio, they probably thought they would be fine if they had door to door pickup and dropoff with their taxis. But I’m guessing (as someone above stated) that the cab driver was in on it.
Yikes. He’s really lucky they didn’t shoot him when he refused to get down on the ground.
Glad they’re all safe and unharmed. Is it me or is it weird that the statement says they’re “cooperating with authorities.” It struck me yesterday. Why wouldn’t thy cooperate?
I wonder what kind of pressure the IOC put on Lochte to get him to deny it happened in the first place. This is exactly the kind of thing they didn’t want to happen – a high profile athlete being robbed at gunpoint – and they’ve been trying to keep crime quiet. I notice that they’re no longer trying to subtley imply that the swimmers were coming back from a brothel.
A separate article I read said they were coming home from a party hosted by the France house (don’t some countries rent space there as a hospitality suite for their athletes? I know some countries did this in Sochi). Regardless where they were coming home from, it’s so disgusting to me that the IOC spokesperson said something like “from Ryan Lochte’s own lips, this absolutely did not happen.” They are the ultimate propaganda machine.
Initially the IOC was trying to imply that they left France House and went somewhere else and they were robbed coming back to their hotel (which got squashed fast). Instead of a big, splashy party where they shouldn’t have been put into a sketchy cab in the first place. This was pretty much the IOC’S worst nightmare, a high profile athlete being robbed at gunpoint.
He sounds…not real. I don’t doubt it happened but who says whatever when there’s a gun at you?! I believe only The Rock would. And yea…I don’t have a hard time believing he did go on the ground stat.
That being said, even though he sounds dumb, nobody deserves this. Glad he and the rest are safe.
Edit: after seeing H and Bee respond that “whatever” is plausible, I take back my disbelief.
I was robbed at gun point 3 times working as a cashier. Each time my response was an annoyed sigh, then a ‘yeah ok, whatever. Do you want the coins or just the notes’. I told one of the men that it was an idiotic place to rob since 99% of people paid with cards and we usually only had about $20 in the till. He said ‘oh, ok’ and left.
I worked in places that got robbed a lot, and I only ever saw one person freak out and one person freeze. Most people are fine, a bit annoyed or bemused, but fine. I was fine afterwards too, just frustrated that the aftermath was so time consuming.
It sounds as though he thought they were really police, and that’s why he was saying they hadn’t done anything wrong. Took him a while to realize the thieves were just posing as police.
Why isn’t the IOC being dragged for trying to cover this up? Why did Lochte’s mother had to insist that this happened in order for them to go public with it? They are playing with people’s lives.
Something like this happened to my cousin when he was studying in Mexico. The driver for his school’ s shuttle service was pulled over by some last minute Halloween costume looking “police officers” in a beat up sedan. They took everyone’s laptops and cash. The shuttle driver was fired but was never arrested for being in on it.
Fake police stops and road ambushes are unfortunately a regular thing in certain Latin American countries right now 🙁
With all the rape and DV news in my feed lately, I am disappointed that when reading the account of the swimmers’ very scary robbery, my 1st thought was of the rape/robbery victim blaming allegory.
Did anyone ask: Why did he get in a cab? Why was he in a dangerous part of town? Was he drinking? Why did he carry money? Why didn’t he put up more of a fight? Can he prove how much money was taken? Was it robbery or was it a charitable donation? When did he call the police? Is he sure it was robbery, the IOC didn’t think so at first? Is it really such a big deal when only his money was taken? Why does he want to ruin the lives of the robbers? etc. etc.
I know this is hyperbole. NO ONE should have to experience ANY form of crime trauma. I’m glad Ryan and the swimmers are receiving so much support and comfort after surviving this violent incident. Hopefully, one day soon, that support and comfort can be expanded to include people who survive rape and domestic violence as well.
Unfortunately, people have asked/said all of those things about him being held up and robbed.
Yeah. It was asked why they didnt have common sense. Its upthread.
Yeah, that was me. And I’m sticking to it. Because Ryan Lochte will be fine. He’s probably shaken and possibly in shock but he will be fine. He did not lose anything that wasn’t replaceable. His body was not violated and he will most likely not need counseling to get over it. And I am 99% sure he will get over. It will not deeply affect the rest of his life. I could go on but you get my drift.
Getting robbed or having something stolen is NOT the same as being raped or abused. If people think the question of “But did they have to go out late at night?” (apparently they didn’t run around Rio alone so they weren’t stupid, as I admittedly thought at first) is the same as “Why did she wear a short skirt?”, we have problems. I said it upthread. We all avoid certain areas at night, we all lock our cars etc. It’s a matter of degree.
@littlemissnaughty Ah, I wasnt throwing you under the bus lol I do agree that in these times you just have to be careful about where you go when it comes to safety, unfortunately. Its why I used the ‘common sense’ bit but I guess it didnt translate well.
English is not my first language so sometimes I dont know how to continue my sentences and just hope for the best lol
No, you didn’t. I hope it didn’t sound like I was angry.
I’m sorry to hear that those questions are being asked about the swimmers’ robbery. Knowing that makes me so sad and disheartened. I’m going to have to secretly pay for a stranger’s lunch and watch a bunch of kitten videos to make it through the day.
Gosh. I’m glad he and his teammates are okay, and that he was able to keep calm through the whole thing.
@LittleMissNaughty not sure about you but if I had a gun pointed at me, it would deeply affect me. Maybe not for the rest of my life but it would take a lot for me to get over it. I had my bag snatched from me when I lived in Spain where it’s pretty much a rite of passage to get something stolen. It affected me while I lived there and I became paranoid with my purse at all times. You feel violated and targeted all the same, even if no physical assault took place (and I was followed once by sketch men in the street at night so I know what that feels like too). All people react differently to these kinds of things.
I just had someone steal money from my coat pocket while I wasn’t in my office, and it had a big effect on me. It changes the way you think about a place you had previously felt safe in. So it’s wise not to play the “my pain is worse than your pain” game. You never know what will affect someone and how much, it depends on so many other things.
Honestly, the thing that surprised me most about this story is the blog post he left. I’m kind of amazed that he’s literate.
My friend is a journalist there. They travel in locked buses (and I mean armored car like locks) to and from venues. They are told to keep their possessions with them all the time. The locks on things like bathrooms are super secure …so secure that my friend locked herself in the bathroom by mistake. She says it is beautiful but very scary. It seems that just hopping in a taxi in Rio is not a good idea. The swimmers had a right to go out and celebrate in a great city. The fact that they faced a gun at the forehead of a popular, famous Olympic swimmer is scandalous and a true shame. Must be a frigging nightmare living in that city. One of the greatest sailors of all time – Sir Peter Blake – was murdered in Brazil and no sailor forgets it. The sailing venue of the Olympics in Rio has been robbed many times.
The people that decided on Rio to hold the Olympics should be put in jail.