INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Ryan Lochte Attacked By Protesters On DWTS, Swimmer Gets Injured During Scuffle

By Val Powell
Published on: 19:51 PST, Sep 13, 2016

The first performance of Ryan Lochte on Dancing with the Stars on Monday was very memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.

Protesters stormed onto the center stage in an apparent attempt to spoil the swimmer’s comeback into the public’s good graces, following the fake robbery controversy in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics last month.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department told CNN that the two suspects, identified as Sam Sotoodeh and Barzeen Soroudi, were booked for trespassing.

“This was a private person’s arrest as the security at the venue made the arrest,” the spokesperson added. “We just accepted [them] and booked them.”

The two were booked on misdemeanor charges and were released from police custody on $1,000 bail.

https://www.facebook.com/EntertainmentTonight/posts/10154583080841180

Ryan Lochte told CNN that he felt very emotional after the attack.

“You know, at that moment, I was really heartbroken. My heart just sunk. It felt like somebody just ripped it apart.”

The swimmer was also physically hurt as he reportedly suffered an ankle injury as a result of the tackle.

Meanwhile, Cheryl Burke remembered the moments before and after the protesters rushed on stage to crash Ryan Lochte’s first performance on DWTS.

In an exclusive for People, she shared how the Olympian was very nervous before coming on stage because of how he thought people would receive him. But she assured the athlete that everybody was cheering for him.

When they were listening to feedback from the judges, Burke saw somebody rush toward the ballroom floor booing her partner. She thought it was a joke at first, but realized that it was all too real. Her first thought was that the guy could have a gun and pose a threat to everybody at the show.

Security then tackled the man averting a worse incident.

Cheryl Burke then noticed that Ryan Lochte was on the verge of tears and she assured him that everything was fine. The swimmer even apologized to her for dragging her into the mess. But she immediately scolded him for always apologizing.

“Ryan really is such an amazing guy. I can’t say that enough,” she wrote. “Anyone who has watched me on the show over the years has seen me with partners I haven’t connected to or had chemistry with, and you can clearly see that we have a sibling bond. I almost feel like I’m a motherly figure to him right now.”

After the show, his mom and relatives all approached Cheryl Burke to apologize for the whole incident, and again she shushed them claiming that everybody should move forward from the Brazil incident last month.

Meanwhile, ABC is reviewing its security protocol after the breach that could have ended badly for Ryan Lochte and others present at the debut.

ABC released a statement regarding the incident which read, “The safety and security of our cast, crew and studio audience are of utmost importance. A full evaluation of security procedures/protocols is taking place, and we will make any changes deemed necessary.”

In related news, TMZ reported that the protesters wanted to make a statement after Ryan Lochte embarrassed the whole American contingent at the Rio Olympics.

Nevertheless, the gossip news site added that Sotoodeh thinks that the way he was tackled by the security was too extreme. It added that the way the suspect reacted “reeks of lawsuit.”

It was widely reported that Ryan Lochte agreed to perform for Dancing with the Stars to salvage his damaged reputation after lying about the robbery in Rio. The swimmer later apologized in a long Instagram post about the incident, although he also attributed some of the blame to a language barrier and being in a strange country.

Protester Gets Tackled to the Ground During Ryan Lochte’s Performance on ‘DWTS’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxLsYjDLQWk

[Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images]

Share this article: Ryan Lochte Attacked By Protesters On DWTS, Swimmer Gets Injured During Scuffle
olympics Dancing with the Stars Ryan Lochte
More from Inquisitr