Celebrity News August 14, 2016
Olympic Star Ryan Lochte Confirms He Was Held Up at Gunpoint
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U.S. swimming star Ryan Lochte, in Rio after a string of successes at the 2016 Olympics, was held up at gunpoint in a taxi early Sunday morning.
Though harmed, Lochte was said to be "shaken up" after the experience, People magazine reports.
Lochte's mom confirmed to USA Today, "...They just took their wallets and basically that was it."
Lochte's coach denied a robbery occurred, but sources close to the swimmer confirmed he'd been partying at Club France before entering a taxi, which was then held up. Friend Thiago Pereira's rep told the Washington Post, "Ryan is well, and Thiago said that the robbery, according to Ryan, was in the taxi. The taxi was robbed."
On Sunday, Lochte himself confirmed to NBC what happened, describing a terrifying scene: "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. 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."
The other swimmers involved were Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen.
Ryan thanked his fans via social media once the story broke:
