Brian Hickerson, the longtime on-and-off boyfriend of the late actress Hayden Panettiere, was handcuffed outside a South Carolina restaurant following an alleged altercation — less than a month after Panettiere’s unexpected death at age 36.

The incident reportedly unfolded on the evening of Saturday, September 12, at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville, South Carolina. According to reports cited by PEOPLE, Hickerson, 37, was briefly detained by police but was not ultimately arrested.

Video circulating online appears to show Hickerson sitting on a curb with his hands restrained behind his back while speaking emotionally to officers. At one point, he could be heard accusing the Greenville Police Department of leaking information surrounding Panettiere’s death.

“GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,” Hickerson shouted, according to footage of the encounter.

The tense scene came only weeks after Panettiere was found unresponsive at a home in Greenville on August 16, an event that remains under investigation.

According to PEOPLE, Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, had allegedly been drinking at the restaurant for several hours before the situation escalated. A source cited by TMZ claimed Brian became involved in an argument with another person at the bar and later allegedly threw a bar stool backward.

Another video reportedly showed Hickerson being carried out of the establishment by someone positioned behind him while a bartender could be heard yelling for the person to let him go.

Police were called after receiving a report of an alleged assault.

Although Brian was handcuffed during the response, authorities reportedly did not arrest him, and he was later released. PEOPLE said the Greenville Police Department had not immediately responded to its request for additional comment as of September 13. An attorney representing Hickerson also did not immediately provide a statement.

His brother, however, faced a different outcome.

Police alleged Zach Hickerson was “highly intoxicated” and began shouting profanities during the incident. He was subsequently arrested on a disorderly conduct charge, according to reports cited by PEOPLE.

The presence of both brothers has drawn particular attention because they were also reportedly together at the Greenville home where Panettiere was found unresponsive several weeks earlier.

Zach previously told TMZ that he had gone to the home after being unable to contact either his brother or Panettiere.

According to Zach’s account, he woke Brian before the brothers realized Panettiere was unconscious. Zach said he called 911 while Brian administered Narcan. The brothers then reportedly performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived.

Panettiere’s cause and manner of death have not yet been officially determined. PEOPLE reported that authorities were awaiting toxicology results as part of the ongoing investigation.

The actress’s death stunned fans who had followed her career since childhood.

Panettiere became a familiar face on television at an early age, later rising to major fame through roles including Claire Bennet on NBC’s superhero drama Heroes and country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville. Her performances earned her critical recognition and built a devoted audience that followed both her professional achievements and the challenges she publicly faced throughout adulthood.

Her relationship with Hickerson had also received significant media attention over the years.

The pair began dating in 2018 and had an on-and-off relationship that included several highly publicized domestic violence incidents.

Hickerson was arrested on domestic violence-related charges in 2019 and again in 2020. In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner. He was sentenced to jail time, probation and domestic violence intervention classes.

Despite that difficult history, Panettiere and Hickerson later appeared to reconnect.

Their relationship was complicated enough that public descriptions of the two varied over time, but Hickerson was identified as Panettiere’s boyfriend following her death.

That history makes the September 12 incident particularly striking.

The footage from outside the restaurant does not simply show a man being detained during a chaotic night. It also captures Hickerson openly referring to Panettiere’s death and expressing anger over how information about it allegedly became public.

There is currently no indication that the bar incident is directly connected to the investigation into Panettiere’s death, and authorities have not accused Hickerson of wrongdoing in connection with her passing.

His remarks about the Greenville Police Department are also allegations made by Hickerson; PEOPLE did not report confirmation that the department had improperly disclosed information.

Still, the timing has ensured that the episode has attracted significant attention.

Panettiere had died just 27 days earlier.

Her death was still being investigated, toxicology results were still pending, and questions remained unanswered when Hickerson once again found himself surrounded by police — this time outside a crowded restaurant.

For Panettiere’s fans, the latest development adds another unsettling chapter to the aftermath of a loss that remains difficult to fully understand.

The actress spent much of her life in public view, growing from a child performer into an internationally recognized television star. She also spoke candidly at different points about personal struggles, relationships and the pressures that accompanied fame.

Now, even after her death, the circumstances surrounding her final days continue to draw public scrutiny.

Authorities have not announced a final cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains open pending toxicology findings.

As for Brian Hickerson, despite being handcuffed during the September 12 restaurant incident, he reportedly left without being arrested.

His brother Zach was arrested for disorderly conduct.

For now, those are the facts publicly known about a chaotic evening that quickly attracted attention far beyond the Greenville restaurant where it began.

But with Panettiere’s death investigation still unresolved, Hickerson’s emotional words to police ensured that what might otherwise have been treated as an isolated bar disturbance became part of a much larger and more painful story — one that, weeks after the actress’s death, is still waiting for answers.