“GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,” Hickerson can be heard shouting, referring to the Greenville Police Department, in one video of the Sept. 12 incident
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty; LionsShareNews / BACKGRID
NEED TO KNOW
- Brian Hickerson, the boyfriend of the late Hayden Panettiere, was handcuffed after an alleged bar altercation
- During the incident in Greenville, S.C., his brother, Zach Hickerson, was arrested for disorderly conduct after police alleged he was highly intoxicated and shouting profanities
- In video shared on social media, Brian can be heard accusing police of leaking information about Hayden’s Aug. 16 death
Brian Hickerson — the on-again, off-again boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere — was handcuffed following an alleged altercation at a restaurant in South Carolina.
The incident occurred at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 12, according to TMZ and Page Six, which added that police said Brian, 37, was not arrested and was subsequently released.
The Greenville Police Department (GPD) did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Sept. 13.
According to TMZ, which was the first outlet to report on the news, an inside source said that Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson, had been drinking at the restaurant for hours when Brian allegedly got in an argument with someone at the bar.
Brian then threw a bar stool backward, according to the source, per TMZ.
A video of the alleged incident obtained by the outlet appears to show Brian being carried out of the establishment by someone who was standing behind him as a bartender yells, “Let him go!”
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
Police were called to the restaurant following a report of an “assault,” per GPD, according to TMZ and Page Six.
Another video circulating on social media appears to show Brian handcuffed while sitting on a curb outside the restaurant. Brian can be heard accusing police of leaking information about Panettiere’s Aug. 16 death at 36.
“GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,” Brian shouted at surrounding officers.
An attorney for Brian did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Police allege that Zach was “highly intoxicated” and began yelling profanities, leading to his arrest for disorderly conduct, per TMZ and Page Six.
The brothers were both at the Greenville home where Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on Aug. 16, according to a police report obtained by PEOPLE.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Zach later told TMZ that he went to the home after he could not get in touch with either Brian or Panettiere. He said he woke Brian, and the brothers then realized she was unconscious. According to Zach’s account, he called 911 while Brian gave her Narcan, and the two performed CPR until emergency responders arrived.
Panettiere and Brian began dating in 2018. Their on-and-off relationship included multiple domestic violence incidents, and Brian was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2019 and again in 2020. In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner and was sentenced to jail time, probation and domestic violence classes.
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Panettiere’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation pending toxicology results.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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