RIO DE JANEIRO – American swimmer Ryan Lochte confirmed to NBC News that he and three other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint Saturday night in Rio.
Patrick Sandusky, USOC spokesperson, released a statement Sunday that read, "According to four members of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte), they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village. 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."
Bentz and Conger are student-athletes at the University of Texas-Austin.
P.s. the gold medal is safe 😂
— Gunnar Bentz (@TheGunnyBunny) August 14, 2016
An IOC spokesman denied the claim at first before hedging, acknowledging he didn't directly know the specifics of the situation.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the USOC denied the story at first but it looks like that denial "is not correct."
"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 the TODAY Show's Billy Bush. "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," Lochte told Bush.
Lochte's mother, Ileana Lochte, and his agent did not immediately return phone calls and text messages from The Associated Press.
Lochte swam in two events at the Rio Games, winning gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.