Drunk and Handcuffed! Two Brothers Romantically Linked to Hayden Panettiere Detained at Greenville Bar, Only One Arrested

Police responded to a reported assault at Wild Wing Cafe on Woodruff Road around 9:10 p.m. on Saturday, September 12. Officers detained several patrons, including Zach Hickerson, who police said was highly intoxicated and yelling profanities in public. He was taken to the Greenville County Detention Center.

Brian Hickerson is handcuffed by Greenville police outside Wild Wing Cafe on September 13, 2026, after a brawl involving him and his brother Zach. Photo by BACKGRID/TMZ.

TMZ reported that his brother, Brian Hickerson, had been drinking for several hours before arguing with other patrons and throwing a bar stool backward. Video from outside the restaurant shows someone lifting Brian into the air as he shouts, “GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,” referring to Hayden Panettiere. His accusation has not been substantiated.

Zach Hickerson steps out clean-shaven in a black cap and navy tee, photographed amid reports of a federal raid at Hayden Panettiere’s Los Angeles home. Photo by Backgrid.

TMZ said the brothers appeared to be reacting to alleged heckling about Hayden, though its witness could not hear what was said.

Brian Hickerson is handcuffed by officers outside Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville, SC on September 13, 2026, following an altercation involving him and his brother Zach. Photo by BACKGRID/TMZ.

RadarOnline reported that Hayden had also been romantically involved with Zach for at least two months in 2019, during a break from Brian, who was then jailed for attacking her. An eyewitness saw Hayden and Zach holding hands in New York, while an insider described the situation as “a very strange set of circumstances.”

Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson spotted hand-in-hand during a dinner outing in August 2018. Photo by The Mega Agency.

Hayden described herself as single in May 2026. But Zach referred to her as Brian’s girlfriend at the scene of her death on August 16, and Brian used the same description during Saturday night’s confrontation.

Outside a Los Angeles venue on January 31, 2019, Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson are seen walking together, hand in hand. Photo by gotpap/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images.

All three were at a rented Airbnb in Greenville when Hayden was found unresponsive. Zach later told TMZ that he called 911 while Brian administered Narcan, and that the brothers then performed CPR together until first responders arrived.

A box of Narcan naloxone nasal spray sits on a ledge outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and MDC in downtown Los Angeles on January 29, 2026. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images.

A Narcan container was also reportedly at the scene, and dispatch audio referenced a suspected overdose and cardiac arrest. Hayden was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. Her cause and manner of death remain pending, and police have reported no signs of foul play.

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