UPDATED: Aug. 18, 2016 (8:00 p.m. PDT) to include USOC statement.
Over the last five days the world has been gripped by the constantly evolving story of a Rio robbery that might never have happened.
Ryan Lochte's tale of an armed encounter at a Brazilian gas station has taken enough twists and turns to make Simone Biles' head spin.
SEE ALSO:Ryan Lochte's alleged Olympics robbery is now the biggest whodunnit since 'Serial'A plot that began as just another story of violence in a city plagued with troubles has barrel-rolled into what looks like a different but equally familiar fable of tourists behaving badly abroad.
Here's how the whole sorry, somewhat complicated and totally compelling story played out.
On Sunday, the world was shocked to learn that American swimming hero Ryan Lochte, the man who brought home gold in the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay, had become the latest victim in Rio's ongoing violence problem.
He, along with three other members of the U.S. Olympic swimming team -- Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen -- were apparently robbed at gunpoint as they traveled from a party to their accommodations in the Olympic Village.
Confronted by people pretending to be police, Lochte and his friends were apparently stopped by people posing as armed guards and had their money stolen as well as Lochte's wallet but thankfully (and perhaps suspiciously in hindsight) not his cellphone or ID.
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The story was confirmed by the swimmer's mom, Ileana Lochte, to USA TODAY Sportson Sunday morning. “I think they’re all shaken up. There were a few of them,” Ileana Lochte said of the incident. “No, they were just, they just took their wallets and basically that was it.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially denied the event had happened, saying it was "absolutely not true," but changed its tune after the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) confirmed it in a statement.
Lochte himself managed to pull himself together after the trauma and tell Today about the "horrifying story" in a beach interview Sunday.
Lochte spared no details as he described being confronted with the end of a gun, recounting how everyone else dropped to the floor but he bravely refused.
"They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn't do anything wrong, so — I'm not getting down on the ground," he said.
I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.'
"And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials."
"Thank goodness they're all safe," a sympathetic anchor declared after the interview.
Lochte then went on to reassure anxious fans that he was "safe and unharmed" in a tweet Sunday and the world breathed a sigh of relief.
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Bentz also took to Twitter to reassure fans he and his medal were safe.
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Oddly, the swimmers didn't bother reporting the incident to the police, who only start investigating following the media reports.
Finally, at around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Lochte met with the representatives from the State Department, FBI, and USOC's security team.
With the world's media focussed on the story, and investigations underway, the various victims began to tell their stories. The only problem was, they differed from each other wildly in early interviews and details were incredibly light.
The group told police they were drunk, the Associated Press reports, and so couldn't remember the type or color of the taxi, or even when and where the incident happened. Feigen talked of several robbers with one gun while Lochte insisted there was just one robber. Then Lochte decided their taxi wasn't stopped by the robbers, but that the incident happened at a gas station.
The whole timeline of the events was starting to look pretty shaky. Lochte and Feigen had initially told police they left the Club France hospitality area at around 4 a.m. and grabbed a taxi at a nearby gas station before going directly to the Olympic Village, a 30- to 40-minute journey away. However, CCTV footage shows them returning at 6:56 a.m. And they don't look like they've been the victims of a robbery.
The journey from Club France to the Athlete's Village takes around 47 minutes in the daytime.Credit: googleLochte also told the media Wednesday he hadn't reported the robbery because "we were afraid we'd get into trouble."
A Brazilian judge started to smell a rat as the week progressed and ordered Lochte and Feigen to surrender their passports. Only problem was, when authorities arrived at the Olympic Village, the swimmers were nowhere to be seen. Lochte was already back in the United States.
Lochte's dad, meanwhile, seemed to be still in the dark, telling the Associated Press he spoke to his son Tuesday and that Ryan Lochte was going to buy a new wallet to replace the one that was stolen.
"I'm just happy he's safe," he said. "It was an unfortunate experience for him and the other three. I don't know what all the controversy is. They were basically taken out of the taxi and robbed. The main thing is he's very lucky that he's safe and that all they got was his cash and wallet."
Gunnar Bentz and Jack Gonger weren't as lucky as Lochte. They got collared by cops as they tried to fly out of the country and were detained for questioning. They didn't look overjoyed as their lawyer finally led them out of the station.
Accompanied by Brazilian lawyer Sergio Riera, left, American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz, center left, and Jack Conger, right, leave the police station at Rio International airport early Thursday Aug. 18, 2016.Credit: AP Photo/Mauro PimentelFeigen, meanwhile, wasn't on that plane (even though he was supposed to be). He was also apparently helping Brazilian authorities with their enquiries. "I'm just trying to give Brazil what they need or what they want and get out of here," he said. "It's a hassle. But I'm safe, everything's fine."
Here's the moment Conger was allegedly yanked off the flight:
View this post on Instagram
Lochte, meanwhile, changed his story. Now the attackers didn't pull them over, they accosted them at a gas station. That gun that was pointed at his head? Maybe it was just in his general direction.
Don't blame Lochte for the inconsistencies. They were a result of a "traumatic mischaracterization."
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An anonymous official recounted a very different version of events to the Associated Press on Thursday.
In his version, the swimmers rolled into a gas station in the Rio suburb of Barra da Tijuca at 6 a.m., tried to open an outside bathroom door and ended up breaking it. They were confronted by an armed security guard who didn't take his weapon out, the official said. After a discussion with the manager of the gas station via a translator, the group eventually paid some money for the door.
That same official also told the AP that Gonger and Bentz -- the two swimmers dragged off the plane -- told police the robbery story was made up.
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Daily paper O Globosaid it spoke to the owner of the gas station in question, CNN reports, who claimed the group threw stones and tore down a sign before urinating on the street.
"They stopped next to the gas station, and urinated outside right next to the gas station. We even have images of one of the athlete's butts, as he is pulling up his pants," the unnamed owner said.
Mario Andrada, the beleaguered Rio spokesman who's spent the last two weeks fielding questions about everything that's gone wrong with the Olympics, said he was relieved the swimmers' story seems to have been busted.
"Let's give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret," he said. "Lochte is one of the best swimmers of all-time. They had fun, they made a mistake, it's part of life, life goes on, let's go."
Media swarmed around the Shell gas station in question on Thursday.Credit: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesCivil Police Chief Fernando Veloso demanded an apology from the swimmers at a press conference Thursday afternoon, insisting that the group were not robbed and instead had a gun pointed at them by security guards after vandalizing the property.
Feigen has not been interviewed by police, he said, but Bentz and Conger were giving statements to police.
The ball, for now, rests in Lochte and his teammates' court.
Late Thursday night, the United States Olympic Committee issued a statement that included an apology for the athletes' behavior.
The behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA or the conduct of the vast majority of its members. We will further review the matter, and any potential consequences for the athletes, when we return to the United States. On behalf of the United States Olympic Committee, we apologize to our hosts in Rio and the people of Brazil for this distracting ordeal in the midst of what should rightly be a celebration of excellence.
The investigation is ongoing but the USOC also confirmed that Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger have departed Rio.
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