Brazilian police charge US swimmer

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian police yesterday charged American swimmer, Ryan Lochte, with filing a false robbery report over an incident during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

A police statement said Lochte would be informed in the US so he could decide whether to introduce a defence in Brazil.

The statement said the case was turned over to a special Brazilian court that had juris- diction over crimes related to major sporting events.

The swimmer’s spokeswoman, Melissa Nathan, said Lochte had no comment.

During the Games, Lochte initially said that he and fellow swimmers – Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen – were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge, on August 15.

Video surveillance showed the athletes getting into a confrontation with security guards at a petrol station when their taxi pulled over to let them use the restroom.

Lochte has since acknowledged he was highly intoxicated and that his behaviour led to the confrontation.

Lochte left Brazil soon after the incident. Three days later, local authorities took Conger and Bentz off an airliner heading to the US so they could be questioned. They were later allowed to leave Brazil. Feigen was not charged. – ANA-AP