Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson was handcuffed by police after a brawl at a bar in Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday night, less than a month after the actress's death.
Hickerson, 37, was filmed yelling at authorities and claiming they had leaked details about Panettiere's death as he sat cuffed on the curb, according to footage obtained by the Daily Mail. He had a cut on his face.
The one-time actor had been drinking for hours with his brother Zach at a back table at the Wild Wing Cafe before he stood up and went to the bar, sources told TMZ.
How the brawl started
The brothers had been seated toward the back of the restaurant, an eyewitness told TMZ on Sunday, when other patrons allegedly heckled them over Panettiere's death on August 16.
The eyewitness said about five middle-aged people had been sitting at a nearby table, and that women in the group had confronted the Hickerson brothers at their table numerous times. It was not immediately clear whether the women had been trying to de-escalate the tension between the men, the eyewitness told the outlet.
The situation escalated when Zach confronted one of the male patrons, the eyewitness said, and things appeared to turn physical as the two men approached the bar. Hickerson, wearing a green hoodie and light-colored jeans, had been talking to some people when things got heated and he picked up a bar stool and flung it backward.
The conflict drew the attention of other patrons, with one worker seen standing in front of Hickerson as he argued. Video showed Hickerson being lifted up and carried out of the bar by a man in a red baseball cap as a bartender shouted, "Let him go!"
Arrests and police response
Hickerson and his brother were brawling with other people outside the restaurant when police arrived, sources told TMZ. A source said Hickerson was handcuffed by police and began shouting at them, "GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died," an apparent reference to Panettiere's death.
Brian Hickerson avoided arrest and was released. Zach was reportedly heavily intoxicated and "yelling profanities," which led to his arrest on a charge of disorderly conduct. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hickerson brothers' attorney for comment but had not received a response.
Panettiere's death
Hickerson and Zach were both present at the Greenville condo where Panettiere was pronounced dead at age 36.
According to the Greenville Police Department's incident report, Zach told police Hickerson had been sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair. Zach stated that Hickerson administered Narcan, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, and that the two performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.
Hickerson has since met with the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of its investigation into the actress's suspected overdose death, TMZ previously reported. Local and federal investigators reportedly believe Panettiere was sold drugs that may have caused her death, and authorities are now focused on identifying the suspected dealer. Panettiere's toxicology reports and official cause of death have not yet been released.
History of domestic violence
Panettiere, known for starring in Heroes and Nashville, had a volatile and tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Hickerson beginning in 2018. He was arrested and charged with domestic violence involving Panettiere on multiple occasions.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, resulting in jail time, probation, domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order, according to People.
Zach Hickerson's statement
Zach previously told TMZ: "There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling. The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth."
He described Panettiere as "one of the most precious individuals on this earth" and argued that her friends and family should be allowed to mourn her passing without any "additional noise."
He added: "At this time, I want to clarify my involvement in effort to keep the focus on the fact that we lost one of the most precious individuals on this earth and to allow those that cared about her to mourn without additional noise, chaos, and misinformation being created and propagated by the media as well as the public."
