Judge Orders Ryan Lochte Protesters To Stay 300 Yards Away From Olympic Swimmer
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two men were arraigned on misdemeanor charges Tuesday for allegedly storming onto the dance floor of "Dancing With the Stars" to protest the appearance of Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Sam Sotoodeh, 59, and Barzeen Soroudi, 26, have each been charged with leaving a spectator area and entering a stage, along with interfering with a performance.
They have been ordered to stay 300 yards away from locations that are involved with production and from Ryan Lochte, CBS2's Kara Finnstrom reported.
If convicted as charged, Sotoodeh and Soroudi could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Both men are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 21, according to the district attorney's office.
The incident unfolded on Sept. 12 as one of the show's judges discussed Lochte's performance with his dance partner Cheryl Burke.
Sotoodeh and Soroudi wore white T-shirts bearing Lochte's name in a circle with a line through it, protesting the swimmer's selection as a contestant on the show following his account of being robbed while in Brazil for the Summer Olympics.
The pair were escorted out of the building and taken into custody.
According to police records, both men were released from jail the following morning.
Lochte has been suspended from domestic and international USA Swimming national team competitions for 10 months, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
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