Brian Hickerson Detained at South Carolina Restaurant Weeks After Panettiere's Death

A Turbulent Night at a Greenville Restaurant

Brian Hickerson, boyfriend of the late actress Hayden Panettiere, was one of multiple people detained by police on Saturday following a fight inside a restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina. According to the Greenville Police Department, at around 9:10 p.m. Saturday, officers were called to the Wild Wing Cafe on Woodruff Road in reference to a reported assault. The incident unfolded just weeks after Panettiere's shocking death, thrusting Hickerson back into a spotlight he can't seem to escape.

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. Social media video shows Brian Hickerson being detained after the altercation at the Wild Wing Cafe. The footage quickly spread online, adding another deeply public chapter to an already tragic story.

One Brother Arrested, the Other Released

During the investigation, officers determined that Zach was highly intoxicated and began shouting profanities in a public setting. 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. The distinction matters — Brian's detention was temporary, but the optics of the moment were impossible to ignore.

In the video, Hickerson can be heard shouting "GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died!" — a clear reference to the Greenville Police Department and the circumstances surrounding Hayden Panettiere's death. TMZ also obtained video of Zach and Brian Hickerson prior to the brawl erupting, seemingly showing the brothers beginning to boil over alleged heckling about Panettiere's death. If accurate, the confrontation suggests the brothers may have been provoked by onlookers taunting them over the tragedy.

The Shadow of Panettiere's Death

The *Heroes* and *Nashville* actress died on August 16 at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina, just days before her 37th birthday. First responders and emergency medical services responded to a 911 call at a residence in Greenville and located Panettiere unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. Responders initiated advanced cardiac life support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.

Brian was the on-and-off boyfriend of Panettiere before her death in August, and he and Zachary were reportedly present at an apartment they shared with Panettiere the day she died. Zach discovered Hayden's body in the Greenville apartment where she and Brian were staying on August 16. That detail has kept both brothers under intense public and investigative scrutiny ever since.

A Death Investigation Still Unresolved

The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Panettiere's death. She was found unresponsive at a residence with no signs of trauma contributing to her death, while toxicology results are still pending. An autopsy confirmed that no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to her death, but her official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.

In a statement shared with ABC News, Panettiere's representative said, "There's nothing to be shared at this time as the investigation is ongoing but we are hopeful that justice will be served." With federal agencies now involved and toxicology results still outstanding, the full picture of what happened to Hayden Panettiere on August 16 remains unresolved. Saturday night's restaurant brawl is a reminder that for Brian Hickerson, life in the aftermath of that tragedy is playing out — loudly and publicly — whether he wants it to or not.