Two men were arrested after they rushed the stage during last night’s Dancing with the Stars premiere. The men, wearing anti-Lochte t-shirts, were subdued by security, videos posted to social media show. The incident occurred as US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and partner Cheryl Burke were receiving their critique from the judges.
Cuffed for rushing the stage at #DWTS during @ryanlochte's dance pic.twitter.com/rjueIKuLsZ
— Jason Nathanson (@ABCNewsJason) September 13, 2016
Lochte has been under scrutiny from the media since he lied about being held up at gunpoint with three other swimmers during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil in August.
VIDEO: Anti-Ryan Lochte protester tackled during #DWTS https://t.co/B6XcAFGzYQ pic.twitter.com/LuzYY6cwuM
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 13, 2016
“Two individuals stormed the dance floor tonight and were immediately subdued and escorted out of the building,” a spokesperson from BBC Worldwide Productions, producer of DWTS, told The Hollywood Reporter. “The matter is now being handled by the authorities.”
The Associated Press reported the two men were arrested on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Los Angeles police spokesman Mike Lopez said they were detained by security until police arrived to take them into custody. No one was injured or listed as a victim in the incident.
RELATED: Rio Police: Ryan Lochte Lied About Being Robbed at Gunpoint, Got Involved in Gas Station Brawl
Here are a couple additional videos of the incident posted to Twitter:
Anti-Lochte protestor tackled to the ground at #DWTS pic.twitter.com/ATWrFb34nK
— Patrick Gomez (@PatrickGomezLA) September 13, 2016
Another angle of Lochte protesters on #DWTS #DancingWiththeStars
Why does this remind me of a Trump rally 🤔 https://t.co/YKCwT5dirE
— @DCHomos (@DCHomos) September 13, 2016
ABC said four to five other women were escorted out of the audience after chanting against Lochte.
AIR7 HD captured the protesters being taken into custody. Police said the men, identified as 48-year-old Sam Sododeh and 40-year-old Barzeen Soroudi, both of Los Angeles, were booked for trespassing.
According to Los Angeles police, Sododeh and Soroudi had valid tickets to the show and wore the anti-Lochte shirts under their clothing.
Lochte expressed his concern over the incident.
“We thought it was a joke, something prior to the show, you know. Then, when we realized it wasn’t, that hurt. It broke my heart that people are still on that subject and no one is moving forward,” he said.
