Brazilian police have recommended that United States swimmers Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen be indicted on charges of falsely reporting a crime in Rio de Janeiro, Federal Police of Brazil told ABC News.
ABC News had previously reported that the pair had been indicted, but it is up to prosecutors to decide whether to act upon the recommendation, and that step has not yet been taken.
The latest twist comes after Brazilian police said four American swimmers were not robbed at gunpoint at a gas station as they claimed. (…)
“No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed,” Civil Police chief Fernando Veloso said during an afternoon news conference Thursday.
Veloso said the four swimmers vandalized the bathroom on the side of the gas station, damaging mirrors and other property. He said surveillance video shows employees of the gas station tried to control the situation but that the swimmers went to their taxi and tried to get away.
When employees realized what was going on, security guards asked the taxi driver not to leave and to wait for police. Although Brazilian police had said previously that no guns were involved in the incident, Veloso said security officers at the gas station did use guns to control the situation. The surveillance video does show a man approaching the taxi with an object in his hand, but it’s not clear whether it is a gun.
Veloso said the gun involved was a legal weapon used by the security guard.
Veloso said the athletes refused to wait for police to arrive. During that time, a third person offered to interpret and explained to the athletes that they had to pay for what they had done to the bathroom. According to Veloso, they offered to pay in the form of a $20 bill and 100 reals (about $51).
See ESPN
