Split verdict in Olympic protest

Two men were acquitted and two others convicted of mob action in a case stemming from an anti-Olympics protest a year ago in Chicago.

Brian Brown, 23, of Itasca, was acquitted Thursday along with Jeremy Sorkin, 22, of Chicago, in a bench trial before Judge Joseph Kazmierski in Cook County Criminal Court.

Twins Jeremy and Jason Hammond, 25, of Glendale Heights, were convicted on three counts of mob action, a felony, and could be sentenced to one to three years in prison.

Six people were charged with mob action Oct. 1, 2009, following an incident in which they were accused of ripping a banner from the Picasso statue at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago and tossing it into a nearby eternal flame commemorating those who have served and died in the U.S. armed forces. That was in the days leading up to the International Olympic Committee decision to award the 2016 Summer Games, in which Chicago was eliminated first and the games eventually went to Brazil.

Two other out-of-state suspects previously pleaded guilty in the case.