Police Detain Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend After Restaurant Fight - Newsweek

Police in Greenville, South Carolina, detained Brian Hickerson, the boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere, and his brother Zach following an altercation at a restaurant Saturday night, according to a press release emailed to Newsweek by the police department on Sunday.

Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, died on August 16 after being found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville.

According to police and coroner officials, first responders attempted lifesaving measures, but the 36-year-old was pronounced dead later that afternoon. Authorities have said there were no immediate signs of foul play, while the official cause and manner of death remained under investigation.

Both Brian and Zach were reportedly at the home when Panettiere died.

Newsweek reached out to an attorney for Brian Hickerson by email Sunday for comment.

Police tell Newsweek that officers responded to a reported assault at Wild Wing Cafe on Woodruff Road around 9:10 p.m. Saturday. Upon arriving, officers found multiple people involved in a fight and detained several individuals while they investigated the incident.

Two of the people detained were brothers Brian and Zach Hickerson, according to the police's press release. During the investigation, officers determined that Zach was highly intoxicated and began shouting profanities in a public setting, police said.

As a result, Zach was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge and transported to the Greenville County Detention Center. Brian Hickerson was later released from the scene and was not charged.

Video of the alleged incident shared by TMZ shows a man in a black sweatshirt believed to be Zach throw a bar chair behind him while a woman who appears to work at the bar holds her hands up to him and tells him to stop.

A man in a white hat is seen behind the employee and another woman, appearing to be the one that Zach is talking to.

The man alleged to be Zach is then escorted by people who appear to be other employees out of the bar, video shows.

TMZ reported that after Brian was handcuffed, he yelled, "GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died," a reference to Panettiere.

Brian Hickerson is a California real estate agent who was first linked romantically to Panettiere in 2018 following her split from longtime partner Wladimir Klitschko. The pair had an on-again, off-again relationship that drew significant public attention over the years.

Their relationship was marked by multiple legal incidents. Hickerson was arrested on domestic violence-related charges during the relationship and, in 2021, pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.

He was sentenced to jail time, probation, domestic violence classes and a protective order. Despite the turbulent history, Panettiere later said the two had reconnected as friends.

In recent weeks, Hickerson has remained in the public spotlight because he was with Panettiere at the time of her death.

The investigation into the death of Panettiere remains ongoing.

Authorities have said there were no immediate signs of foul play, but investigators have continued examining the circumstances surrounding her death while awaiting additional evidence, including toxicology results.

In recent days, outlets have reported that local and federal investigators are examining whether drugs may have played a role in the 36-year-old's death. According to reports cited by TMZ, authorities are focusing on identifying a potential drug supplier and have met with Brian Hickerson as part of the investigation.

Officials have not announced any charges, arrests or findings linking any individual to her death.

Dispatch audio obtained by several media outlets indicated first responders were dealing with a suspected overdose and cardiac arrest, though investigators have not released a final cause of death.

Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.