It looks more and more like Lochte was probably robbed by the police

This whole incident shows why Brazil is such a mess. Yes. Lochte lied. Yes, the swimmers were being jerks. But they never filed a police report, which is the entire basis for the criminal complaint against them. Lochte's Mom put something out on social media about the incident and Lochte followed up with statements made to the media. None of the swimmers ever called the police or filed a police report. But local authorities did not like the bad PR and used the criminal complaint as a pretext to try to show the world that Rio is not really a crime ridden and corrupt city. Yet, in doing so, they have just shown that Rio is in fact a crime ridden and corrupt city. The security guards should have never drawn guns on the swimmers. But there is so much crime in Rio that every store has armed security and shoot outs between guards or store owners and thugs are commonplace. Security guards think that they can pull weapons whenever they want and did so in this case to coerce the swimmers into paying for alleged damage to the gas station.

It's really quite simple. If the dumb Americans had behaved like 'normal' human beings, none of this would have happened. Is this so hard to understand? Stop making excuses for grown men.

Precious Roy wrote:

But there is so much crime in Rio that every store has armed security and shoot outs between guards or store owners and thugs are commonplace. Security guards think that they can pull weapons whenever they want and did so in this case to coerce the swimmers into paying for alleged damage to the gas station.

Completely false statements from someone who obviously never been to Rio.

Rio sucks wrote:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/21/investigation-ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-authorities/89082232/

Once reporters actually started digging the truth leans far in Lochte's favor. This is looking like a typical extortion by Brazilian police.

Please tell me all you know about TYPICAL brazilian extortion. Enlighten me. Is this something that happens frequently in your basement or in the redneck trailer park you live at?

Genuinely curious here.

Brasila wrote:

Precious Roy wrote:

But there is so much crime in Rio that every store has armed security and shoot outs between guards or store owners and thugs are commonplace. Security guards think that they can pull weapons whenever they want and did so in this case to coerce the swimmers into paying for alleged damage to the gas station.

Completely false statements from someone who obviously never been to Rio.

This is completely false. Again, another basement dweller that doesn't even own a passport trying to argue about countries he has never been to.

Yes, Rio is shitty. Rio is the worst Brazilian city I can think of. But it is nothing like what you are describing.

somebloke wrote:

Rio sucks wrote:http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/21/investigation-ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-authorities/89082232/

Once reporters actually started digging the truth leans far in Lochte's favor. This is looking like a typical extortion by Brazilian police.

Please tell me all you know about TYPICAL brazilian extortion. Enlighten me. Is this something that happens frequently in your basement or in the redneck trailer park you live at?

Genuinely curious here.

The primary image in the USA Today story has text saying, "Security camera footage provided by police fails to show the swimmers near the bathroom." This is there claim. The videos showing the swimmers IN THE bathroom are deemed by these "reporters" to not exist. LOL

exthrower wrote:

Why did our National media immediatly side with the Brazilian cops? They have been calling American cops bullies and liars for the last year.

Another reason that Americans regard the media as corrupt and untruthful...

Because that is where the truth is.

Let me tell you something. I speak 4 languages, including Portuguese of course. I have read everything there is to read about the subject, including the transcripts of the statements given by the swimmers to the authorities. It's crystal clear. The security guard acted in a correctness that has to be commended. He refused money when the swimmers were waving bills at them. They had the opportunity to be bribed if they decided to, but instead they showed their hands to the swimmers, showed them the 'stop sign' with their hands.

Later they asked the gas station manager how much would be necessary to cover for the damages. With the help of a translator, the money was them given to the gas station manager. Nothing shady at all.

You have to be lunatic to side with spoiled empty-headed teenagers. They acted in a very stupid manner, trying to side with them blows all the stupidity scales in all ways I can think of.

Sincerely,

el braziliano.

Drunk, immature, obnoxious, and unable to act like a grownup even when sober and with time to think it over and the best legal and PR advice money can buy.

Could have diffused the situation with a simple apology at several different times along the way.

Amazingly ignorant of some basic facts about travelling abroad, especially where you don't understand the local language.

Not someone I want representing my country to the world.

The local security guards/off duty cops - Bad idea to draw guns when there was no threat of violence, though with four misbehaving, muscular men, at least one of whom wasn't fully cooperating, I can hardly blame them

But the bottom line, as the local attorney says, is that the swimmers didn't go to the police, they just responded when they were questioned. So, no filing of a false report, if Brazilian law makes any sense. No charges should have been filed.

Well, in 2009 when I was working with a Sao Paolo native, I asked her, after reading this NYTimes article on the prevalence and popularity of armored cars there if it was exaggeration or hyperbole, she said "No, sadly it's all true".

That a uniformed guard in Rio would brandish a gun and effect vigilante justice is not surprising.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/world/americas/04brazil.html?_r=0

Brazil, and especially Rio, is corrupt and crime ridden. Anyone claiming otherwise has not spent extensive time there. One of the biggest problems is trigger happy plain-clothed police. These guys will shoot and kill anyone they think might have committed a crime. And the bribe culture is worse than Mexico. I'm shocked that people are defending this place.

LOL ... based on the claim of a single fake Sao Paolo native the entire Rio justice system is corrupt.

I have worked with several native Brazilians, include several from Rio. They love their cities and say it is not very different from US cities. If you watched any of the road races at the Olympics (bike, tri, running) then you know the city is very much like any city in the USA.

I'm so glad ThunderThighs and his posse have no voice to society-at-large. They spout "ugly American-ism" & "white privilege" & "trashed the bathroom" & "the police were courteous" but their messageboard posts are buried and have no cosequence. They have no effect on society.

Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio comes back from vacation and broadcasts to his millions of listeners the real way the world will interpret this scenario:

Lochte is dumb & was drunk. He "represents" nobody but himself. He doesn't represent the rest of the swim team or American athletes or American society. He represents his dumb self. His story doesn't scare away tourists from Rio. Their rank in the top 10 of most dangerous cities & contaminated water does that just fine.

Rio sucks wrote:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/21/investigation-ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-authorities/89082232/

Once reporters actually started digging the truth leans far in Lochte's favor. This is looking like a typical extortion by Brazilian police.

What part of that story made you think he was robbed by the police. I thought that story basically added nothing and yet it was presented as en expose.

Lochte was hammered drunk. He peed where he shouldn't and ripped a sign off. The secruity guards are like hold on here, you aren't leaving adn showed they had a gun. When he went ballistic and started cursing him, they pulled such guns.

I'm sure in the end Lochte was thrilled at the time to get out there having only had to pay $50. There is no way he wanted the actual police called. As an Olympian, he doens't want to get arrested for public urination and destructino fo property.

That's not robbery. It's basically an agreement between two parties. You pay up or we call the cops. I guess you could maybe call it extortion but I would call it a business agreement.

Lochte then reneged on the agreement and said it was a brutal robbery.

try_again wrote:

Lochte originally said that the swimmers were 1) pulled over by fake police officers, 2) held up (at one point with a gun to his head), and 3) made to give over hundreds of dollars/wallets in an apparent armed robbery.

Even if they were 'shaken down' by security guards for minor vandalism of the gas station, his story was, for the most part, complete BS.

This is why he lost all his sponsors - deservedly so.

THIS

Precious Roy wrote:

The security guards should have never drawn guns on the swimmers. But there is so much crime in Rio that every store has armed security and shoot outs between guards or store owners and thugs are commonplace. .

Why shouldn't they pull weapons. They likely showed their weaons to show the guys, "Hold on. You aren't leaving. Let's see what happened here."

Lochte then want ballistic and they pulled the weapons.

I don't have a problem with it. The VAST majority of the blame here goes to Lochte. Almost all of it really.

brazil sucks wrote:

Brazil, and especially Rio, is corrupt and crime ridden. Anyone claiming otherwise has not spent extensive time there. One of the biggest problems is trigger happy plain-clothed police. These guys will shoot and kill anyone they think might have committed a crime. And the bribe culture is worse than Mexico. I'm shocked that people are defending this place.

those are real problems in Rio, no one is arguing that Rio is the nicest place on Earth. What has to be argued here is that none of that affected Lochte and his entourage. Nothing. They got the treatment that they deserved, all according to the law.

somebloke wrote:

Rio sucks wrote:http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/21/investigation-ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-authorities/89082232/

Once reporters actually started digging the truth leans far in Lochte's favor. This is looking like a typical extortion by Brazilian police.

Please tell me all you know about TYPICAL brazilian extortion. Enlighten me. Is this something that happens frequently in your basement or in the redneck trailer park you live at?

Genuinely curious here.

A guy who got kicked out of a group home is making fun of where some one lives??? Priceless.

el braziliano wrote:

brazil sucks wrote:

Brazil, and especially Rio, is corrupt and crime ridden. Anyone claiming otherwise has not spent extensive time there. One of the biggest problems is trigger happy plain-clothed police. These guys will shoot and kill anyone they think might have committed a crime. And the bribe culture is worse than Mexico. I'm shocked that people are defending this place.

those are real problems in Rio, no one is arguing that Rio is the nicest place on Earth. What has to be argued here is that none of that affected Lochte and his entourage. Nothing. They got the treatment that they deserved, all according to the law.

The poster needs to re-read his Bible:

James 3:5-6 From the New International Version (NIV)

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Rio forgives Lochte wrote:

When you come right down to it, the whole reason the SJW media is going on about this is that there were caught peeing as males without sitting down, and that's just not acceptable these days (cf. Sweden).

That's the whole story.

That's right. The Trans CP Police have got it in for the upright peeers.

Men, don't take this laying down. Stand up for your rights.