Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson accused police of leaking the news of her death as he was handcuffed in a bar in Greenville, South Carolina, this weekend.
Hickerson and his brother Zach were allegedly involved in an altercation at Wild Wing Cafe, and police were called after Brian Hickerson reportedly threw a bar stool.
TMZ reports that Hickerson was ultimately released, but Zach was taken into custody for disorderly conduct.
In footage of the incident, which is circulating on social media, Hickerson can be seen seated on the ground while officers from the Greenville Police Department cuff his hands behind his back.
Hickerson tells them: “GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died.”
The Independent has approached the Greenville Police Department for comment.
Panettiere died August 16 at an apartment in Greenville, at the age of 36.
Zach Hickerson has said that he and Brian found Panettiere unconscious. He claimed that the trio had plans to get lunch and go indoor golfing Sunday before tragedy struck.
“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. When I got there I knew the code to the building but not the door code to the AirBnb,” Zach told TMZ.
“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.”
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Zach also claimed to the outlet that “Brian gave her Narcan,” the medication commonly administered to offset an opioid overdose.
According to a police incident report viewed by The Independent, Brian and Zach called 911 when they realized Panettiere was unconscious. Officers recorded that Zach was emotional as emergency services worked to save Panettiere’s life, but that Brian only became emotional after she was officially declared dead.
The report also stated that Brian turned over a “bag of medication” belonging to Panettiere to investigators. The names of the medications were redacted.
A cause of death has not yet been determined, but an autopsy showed no signs of trauma.
Panettiere’s death is being investigated.
One day after police reportedly began probing whether there could be criminal conduct behind Panettiere’s death, Brian broke his silence via his lawyer, saying, in part, “It is important to allow that investigation to proceed.”