Brian Hickerson spat at police officers during a chaotic August 2025 arrest at a West Hollywood bar, newly released footage shows.
Hickerson, 35, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere, was taken into custody at Barney’s Beanery after employees failed to remove him from the establishment. Multiple officers were needed to extract the barefoot Hickerson from beneath a table where he had hidden moments before his arrest.
After being placed in handcuffs, Hickerson motioned toward one officer, spat in their direction and stumbled, the video on Friday reveals. The former actor appeared to be under the influence during the incident, the outlet reported.
Sources said that Hickerson broke a glass at the bar and threw a shoe at a fellow patron prior to police arrival. Despite the disturbance, bar owner David Houston said that Hickerson was not banned from the establishment, and prosecutors declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence.
The West Hollywood arrest was not Hickerson’s only legal trouble that week. He was arrested days later for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance, though that case was dismissed after he completed a diversion program including 10 Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Hickerson’s criminal history includes multiple domestic violence arrests during his years-long relationship with Panettiere. He pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in 2021 and received 45 days in county jail plus four years of probation. A court also ordered him to complete 52 domestic violence classes, and Panettiere was granted a five-year restraining order against him.
Hickerson and his brother Zach were present when Panettiere died following an overdose at a South Carolina residence on August 16, according to police reports. She was 36. Hickerson provided responding officers with a bag of medication Panettiere had been taking after she was declared dead on the scene, the police report stated.
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has since publicly challenged Hickerson’s version of events surrounding her daughter’s death. Hickerson’s attorney pushed back in an Aug. 20 statement, noting that “police confirmed there were no signs of foul play” in Panettiere’s death.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” his attorney said. “Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
Hickerson’s representative did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment regarding the newly released arrest footage.
The August 2025 bar incident adds to a pattern of public disturbances involving Hickerson, whose relationship with Panettiere was marked by repeated breakups and reconciliations amid his legal issues. The couple’s tumultuous romance began in 2018 and continued intermittently through his 2021 domestic violence conviction and beyond.
Hickerson’s attorney has maintained that no foul play was suspected in Panettiere’s death as the investigation continues.