LOS ANGELES — Two men were arrested Monday night after crashing disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's live debut on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," police told NBC News.
The incident, which police called a "pre-planned" action, did not appear on camera.
Sam Sododeh, 48, and Barzeen Soroudi, 40, both of Los Angeles, walked onto the stage area after Lochte's and Cheryl Burke's performance before security tackled them to the ground, law enforcement sources told NBC News. The men were authorized audience members, but later changed into anti-Lochte T-shirts to disrupt the broadcast.
Four or five women responsible for anti-Lochte chants of "liar!" were escorted out of the audience, the network said.
Video of the incident posted on Instagram by fellow Olympic swimmer Ed Moses shows security guards pinning down a man and escorting him out, as well as employees making a group of women wearing anti-Lochte T-shirts leave the audience.
"This crap is getting old!" Moses wrote. "I love u @ryanlochte and respect you putting yourself out there, you are one of a kind!! ... #respect"
The two men were being held pending charges on suspicion of trespassing, Los Angeles police Officer Mike Lopez told NBC News.
ABC News Radio reporter Jason Nathanson tweeted a photo from the scene showing two men who were wearing anti-Lochte T-shirts in handcuffs.
Lochte — who's been trying to rehab his reputation after he "overexaggerated" claims that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint during the Summer Olympic Games in Rio — and Burke "seemed bemused but otherwise unaffected," ABC said.
The incident didn't appear on camera. ABC reported that two men walked onto the stage after Lochte's and Burke's performance before security tackled them to the ground. Four or five women responsible for the anti-Lochte chants were escorted out of the audience, the network said.
The broadcast quickly cut to a commercial as host Tom Bergeron told the audience to "take a breath." When the show returned from the break, Bergeron explained: "We had to go to break because we had a little incident."
Bergeron then interviewed Lochte and Burke.
According to live remarks transcribed by Deadline Hollywood, Lochte said: "I'm doing good. So many feelings are going through my head right now. A little hurt.
"I came out here and wanted to do something I'm completely not comfortable with, and I did, and I came out here with a big smile."
One of the show's judges, choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba, was on camera trying to deliver her verdict on the dancers' performance when the incident occurred.
She posted later on Instagram: "No one got hurt. Only positive energy here tonight and always."
