RIO DE JANEIRO _ The dramatic account by Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers of a being robbed at gunpoint during an taxi ride earlier this week appeared to unravel Thursday as police said the story was fabricated and that the group was instead involved in an altercation at a gas station.
Fernando Veloso, head of Rio de Janeiro's civil police, said during a news conference that the swimmers damaged a bathroom at the gas station early Sunday morning, were detained by security to await police and settled the matter by paying 100 reals, about $30, and $20.
Two of the swimmers confirmed the account Thursday, Veloso said.
The Rede Globo television network said in a story on its website that gas station employees summoned police because of the damaged bathroom and security personnel presented a badge and gun when two swimmers attempted to leave, but the matter was resolved by the time police arrived.
Police confirmed that one of the security guards pointed a gun at the swimmers.
Security footage from the gas station obtained by the network in Brazil shows the four swimmers arriving after 6 a.m. and rushing into the building. After they exited, three red-shirted staffers peered into the hallway where the swimmers had just been.
Lochte and the others then attempted to get into the wrong taxi before finding the correct one nearby. At that point, an apparent employee of the station approaches them, they exit the car and follow him off camera. One of the swimmers briefly raises his hands.
Footage from another camera shows them in another area of the station. One has fallen onto his back and is helped up by a teammate. The four then sit on a curb and could be seen in animated conversation with a person out of view of the camera.
One of the swimmers appears to retrieve something from his pocket and hold it out. The video shows passers-by on the street and another employee walk casually into the area without showing much reaction to the situation.
The swimmers eventually stand up and walk out of the camera's view.
In a separate story in the O Globo Rio newspaper, the gas station owner said that the swimmers vandalized his facility and urinated on it.
Thursday's developments are the latest twist in the fast-moving story.
Lochte, the 12-time Olympic medalist, tempered his initial statements to NBC about the incident in a follow-up discussion with the network Wednesday. He said a gun was aimed in the direction of the swimmers, not pressed against his head.
The swimmers said in a statement issued by the U.S. Olympic Committee earlier in the week that they were robbed of wallets and personal items by armed individuals posing as police officers during a taxi ride from France's hospitality venue back to the Olympic Village.
Brazilian authorities have questioned the consistency in accounts of what occurred and a judge barred Lochte and Jimmy Feigen from leaving the country. Local authorities arrived at the Village on Wednesday to collect Feigen and Lochte's passports and question them further, but the U.S. swimming team had already departed.
Lochte had earlier returned to the U.S. Feigen remains in Brazil.
On Wednesday night, Brazilian authorities pulled the two other swimmers, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, off their flight back to the U.S. They were released after promising to cooperate with police.
"The three U.S. Olympic swimmers (Bentz, Conger and Feigen) are cooperating with authorities and in the process of scheduling a time and place today to provide further statements to the Brazilian authorities," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement Thursday. "All are represented by counsel and being appropriately supported by the USOC and the U.S. Consulate in Rio."
The ongoing incident has presented an unwelcome distraction for organizers of the Summer Olympics, already beset by issues with logistics, venues and security. The closing ceremony for the Games is Sunday.
Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada, who earlier apologized to the swimmers, wanted to move forward Thursday.
"Let's give these kids a break," he said. "Sometimes you take actions you later regret. They are magnificent athletes. Lochte is of one of the best swimmers of all time. They had fun. They made a mistake. It's part of life. Life goes on."
