Brazilian police say U.S. swimmers' robbery account was 'fabricated'

Brazilian police reported Thursday that there's evidence U.S. Olympic swimmers Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and James Feigen "fabricated" their story about being robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning in Rio de Janeiro. Video footage reportedly shows one of the four swimmers "breaking down" the door to a restroom at a gas station and then "fighting" with a security guard, ABC News' Matt Gutman reported.

Lochte originally said he and his teammates were pulled over by armed men posing as police officers while taking a taxi back to the Olympic athletes village. But then, Lochte told NBC's Matt Lauer on Wednesday night that the robbery actually took place after they'd stopped to use a gas station bathroom: "[The swimmers] got back to the taxi, and when they told the taxi driver to go, he didn't move," Lauer said, recounting what Lochte had told him. "They said 'let's go' again, 'We've got to get out of here,' and again the taxi driver didn't move. And that's when [Lochte] says two men approached the car with guns and badges," Lauer said.

A Brazilian judge on Wednesday ordered a search and seizure warrant for Lochte and Feigen, and authorities arrived to the Olympic village to confiscate the men's passports so they would be forced to stay in the country during the investigation. But with swimming competition for the Rio Games completed, the U.S. team had already moved out of their lodging — and, in Lochte's case, already left Brazil.

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While Lochte has already returned to the U.S., his three teammates are set to meet with Brazilian law enforcement Thursday; Conger and Bentz were taken off their flight by Brazilian authorities Wednesday as they attempted to return to the U.S., while Feigen never left the country. Police have uncovered inconsistencies in the swimmers' accounts of the incident and have yet to find much evidence, including the driver of the taxi where the robbery allegedly took place.