Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson detained, his brother arrested - USA Today
Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was briefly detained by police after an alleged altercation at a South Carolina restaurant.
Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were among "several individuals involved in an altercation" at Wild Wing Café on Sept. 12, with "multiple patrons" detained while the incident was investigated, the Greenville Police Department said in a Sept. 13 statement to USA TODAY.
Officers were dispatched to the restaurant around 9:10 p.m. "in reference to a reported assault inside the restaurant."
According to police, "During the investigation, officers determined that Zach Hickerson was highly intoxicated. He began yelling profanities in a public setting, and as a result, he was taken into custody for disorderly conduct and transported to the Greenville County Detention Center."
Meanwhile, Brian Hickerson was released at the scene and was not charged. USA TODAY has reached out to his attorney for comment.
The incident comes nearly a month after Panettiere, 36, died Aug. 16 inside a South Carolina apartment complex. Brian and Zach Hickerson found her unresponsive and called 911, according to a police report previously obtained by USA TODAY.
Panettiere's cause of death has not been released by the coroner's office. The results of the autopsy and toxicology reports could take up to three months.
Paparazzi video shared by TMZ on Sept. 13 seemingly showed Zach Hickerson outside the jail in Greenville. After being asked how he's holding up, he replied, "This is the problem with y'all putting stuff on the internet. People fill in their own holes, and they want to attack people for no reason."
He continued, "It's just super frustrating all that we've been through and all the rumors that get started and then people believe them, and then they attack as a result of the rumors."
Though he declined to go into detail about what led to his arrest, he told the cameraman, "I'll clarify eventually."
On Aug. 20, Brian Hickerson released his first statement addressing the "Heroes" star's death via his lawyer.
"Hayden's death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed," Sloan Ellis said. "As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."
In an interview with TMZ, published Aug. 21, Zach Hickerson said that after he and his brother found Panettiere unconscious, Brian Hickerson administered Narcan while Zach called 911.
"When I left church I called and texted both of them. When I didn’t reach Brian or Hayden, I just assumed maybe they fell back asleep so I drove over and went to the Airbnb," Zach Hickerson said. "I knocked loudly which apparently woke Brian up from a nap they were both taking on the pull out couch bed in the living room. When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious."
The brothers "jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived," he said. "At that point we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life."
Panettiere's relationship with Brian Hickerson, which began in 2018, involved him being arrested multiple times for alleged domestic violence, which Panettiere described in her memoir. After his 2020 arrest, Brian Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of probation and 52 domestic violence classes after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere.
In the months preceding her death, the pair fueled speculation of a reconciliation after paparazzi photographed them together.
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