Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend was seen hiding barefoot beneath a table at a bar during an arrest that took place a year before the actress’s tragic death.
Brian Hickerson appeared without shoes as he crouched under a table inside Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood on August 2, 2025, according to newly published photos obtained by TMZ.
The attempt to stay out of sight was apparently short-lived, with one image showing a Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy standing directly over the table where Hickerson had taken cover.
The photos surfaced two weeks after Panettiere died on August 16 at a residence in Greenville, in a case officials said was suspected to involve a drug “overdose.” Hickerson was reportedly with her at the time.
At the time of the bar incident, sources told the outlet that Hickerson had entered the Los Angeles venue and appeared to be under the influence of something, with witnesses describing his behavior as erratic.
The situation allegedly intensified after Hickerson broke a drinking glass at the bar and, according to insiders who spoke to TMZ, threw one of his shoes at another diner, prompting staff to ask him to leave.
Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend hid barefoot beneath a table at a bar during his arrest a year before the actress’s tragic death
Panettiere died on August 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, in what officials said was suspected to be a drug “overdose.” Hickerson was with her at the time. Above, in 2018
The sources went on to claim that Hickerson began ‘freaking out’ so an employee attempted to physically remove him but he refused to go so police were called.
TMZ’s insiders also said that law enforcement also had trouble getting Hickerson to leave but they eventually were able to remove him and arrested him outside of the establishment.
The owner of Barney’s Beanery told the publication that Hickerson is not banned from the restaurant and is allowed to return.
Prosecutors declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence, though he was arrested again four days later for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance. He entered a diversion program and had the case dismissed after completing 10 Narcotics Anonymous meetings according to TMZ.
The bizarre images come days after it was revealed that Hickerson had reportedly exchanged messages with a Greenville, South Carolina, woman in the months before the death of the Heroes star.
Hickerson sent text messages and Instagram DMs to the 26-year-old woman, Page Six reported on Thursday after reviewing the exchanges.
The woman, who spoke with the outlet on condition of anonymity, told the outlet that she initially crossed paths with Hickerson on March 28 at the Greenville bar Cat’s Pajamas.
It was not clear what the relationship status was between Panettiere and Hickerson at the time the woman said she was in touch with Hickerson, as Page Six reported it couldn’t determine ‘whether there was any overlap’ in the timeframe, noting they had been photographed at March 2 at LAX Airport.
Brian Hickerson could be seen without his shoes while tucking himself under a table inside Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood on August 2, 2025 in new photos published by TMZ
Our News Outlet previously reached out to attorneys for Hickerson and reps for the late Panettiere for further comment on the story but has yet to hear back.
The woman told the outlet that she had been ‘heavily intoxicated’ at the time she claims she first crossed paths with Hickerson, and as a result did not ‘remember much of that night.’
The woman told Page Six that Hickerson on March 29 followed her Instagram page from his, since-deactivated, account under the handle @brianhickerson_.
The outlet reported that a message to the woman sent from Hickerson’s account read: ‘Great meeting you last night pretty lady. I owe you a date. I’m heading to [C]ity Tavern for a slushie in a bit you should join.’
The woman told Page Six that she wasn’t aware of who Hickerson was and didn’t have any ‘knowledge’ about his link to Panettiere, as the outlet noted it saw text messages with a friend to support her statement.
On April 1, the woman replied to Hickerson, explaining that her memory of the evening was limited, according to the outlet.
She wrote, according to Page Six, ‘Hey Brian! I’m sorry I missed this – I’m awful with my inbox. I have to be so honest, I don’t remember much of that night. What happened?
‘I’m sorry I missed your slushy invite but I for sure would not have made it. Today is the first day I’ve had a clear mind since Saturday night.’
Hickerson told the woman that she ‘didn’t seem too drunk,’ Page Six reported, adding that he’d gone out that evening since his brother ‘was in town.’
Hickerson and Panettiere, who had been linked since 2018, had a stormy history in which he had been convicted of domestic abuse in connection with their relationship. Pictured in LA in 2019
According to the outlet, Hickerson told the woman that she asked him to take her ‘somewhere nice on a date’ – which ‘clearly throws Waffle House out the window’ – and he suggested he could take her to the Greenville eatery Halls Chophouse.
Hickerson wrote to the woman, according to Page Six, that he ‘just moved here from Los Angeles so it was nice meeting a pretty girl in Greenville out of the blue.
‘I also realized after I reached out on instagram you gave me your number so I’ll shoot you a text if that’s better.’
The woman told Hickerson in reply that she didn’t remember the details he had shared with her, asking what part of the club they met in and how old he was, noting that she was 25 (at the time), according to Page Six.
The woman told Hickerson she would ‘definitely prefer to meet properly,’ according to Page Six, adding that she doesn’t go to Waffle House until ‘the 12th-ish date, with Hickerson commenting it was ‘very intimate’ place to go on a first date.
According to the outlet, Hickerson told the woman they had initially met ‘in the middle of the dance floor.’
Hickerson, who has since turned 37, said of his age, ‘I’m 36 but I read on a 25 year old level. Is that a deal breaker?’ Page Six reported.
The woman replied with an emoji indicating she was amused, according to the outlet, saying they should first go to the upscale restaurant then, once they’ve ‘known each other for a while,’ dine at Waffle House.
The woman told Page Six that Hickerson had never spoke about his relationship with Panettiere. Pictured 2022 in LA
According to Page Six, Hickerson told the woman he had found her ‘just as adorable’ as when they initially had met ‘the other night,’ then asked where she was from.
Hickerson told the woman that he had been ‘ten vodka sodas deep’ and thought she told him she was from Alabama, according to the outlet, to which she said that she was from Greenville.
Hickerson told the woman that he had grown up in Greenville ‘as well,’ according to Page Six, then asking her where she went to school.
The woman told Page Six that she had ‘stopped corresponding’ with Hickerson, having had ‘lost interest’ in him on the basis of the age differential and lack of memory about their initial encounter.
Hickerson subsequently sent a series of text messages that the woman did not reply to, Page Six reported, on April 2 and April 4, writing on the latter date, ‘Im gonna be out of town for work till next Monday. So how about we shoot for halls mid week?’
That day, he also replied to an Instagram Story she posted urging those who didn’t have anyone to attend Easter Sunday services with to contact her, according to the outlet.
Hickerson said, according to Page Six: ‘Goodness you must be reading my mind haha I was gonna skip tomorrow because it was just me. Where do you go?’
Hickerson last sent the woman a text April 14, according to the outlet, writing, ‘Hey hey, I’m back in town this week. When am I taking you to hall’s?’
The woman told the outlet that she did not respond to Hickerson, and the first time she heard his name in the time since was when news broke of Panettiere’s passing.
She told Page Six: ‘I vaguely remembered the name and began looking through my direct messages.
The woman told Page Six that Hickerson had never spoke about his relationship with Panettiere, pictured in NYC in May
‘The possibility that I had unknowingly become connected to a high-profile relationship, especially in these unfortunate circumstances, was beyond my comprehension.’
The woman told Page Six that Hickerson had never spoken about his relationship with Panettiere; and after her death she first learned about his past domestic abuse convictions linked to their relationship.
On August 20, Hickerson’s lawyer Sloan Ellis said in a statement obtained by Our News Outlet: ‘Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.
‘As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play,’ Ellis said. ‘Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.’
Hickerson and Panettiere, who had been linked since 2018, had a stormy history in which he had been convicted of domestic abuse in connection with their relationship.
Hickerson in April of 2021 entered pleas of no contest to a pair of felony counts of domestic abuse in an agreement after he was initially charged with eight counts of domestic violence, including assault with a deadly weapon, battery and corporal injury, in Los Angeles in July of 2020.
He received a 45-day jail sentence and probation for four years from the court, which ordered him to complete classes on domestic violence following the pleas of no contest.
The other charges were subsequently dropped following the pleas, and Panettiere had been issued a protective order spanning five years, which had expired earlier this year.
Panettiere had been declared deceased August 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina in what officials said was suspected as a drug ‘overdose’ Pictured 2022
Panettiere put out a statement in 2020 saying she hoped she could serve as an example for others in a similar situation.
‘I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me,’ she said, ‘in the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve.’
Panettiere in her memoir said she had not wanted ‘to be a spokesperson for domestic violence,’ adding: ‘I never wanted to call myself a victim, but here I am.’
She said in the book: ‘It’s part of my story whether I want it to be or not. So, I’ll lay it all out here: seven years of mental illness, addiction, rage, abuse and pain in just a few pages.
‘You never forget the first time someone slaps you nor do you forget the last … the slaps become hits.’
This past May, Hickerson spoke with TMZ about past instances of domestic violence and abuse in his relationship with the actress, which she detailed in her memoir.
‘I got arrested for abusing her, and I wouldn’t blame her friends for being pissed off with me, so I don’t really have much to say on that,’ said Hickerson, who was first linked to the late actress in 2018. ‘You never lay hands on a woman, bottom line.’
Hickerson detailed a horrifying story that Panettiere wrote about in her memoir.
He said: ‘There’s a story where I was drunk, right? Hayden was standing across the room and I had a phone in my hand and I said, “Hayden, I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you.”‘
The late actress was pictured promoting This Is Me: A Reckoning at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble, where sources said she instructed the venue to keep Hickerson away
Hickerson continued: ‘Who wants to read something about themselves, right? But you gotta be vulnerable and I did it. I did it, so.’
He said he was in ‘such a dark place’ involving ‘drugs’ and ‘alcohol,’ adding, ‘Good God, almighty, she’s five foot two on paper, four-foot-11 in real life. I mean, come on.’
Panettiere’s passing was announced August 16 by her father Skip, who said in a statement: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.’
Authorities in Greenville, South Carolina said that officials responded to an apartment in the area on August 16 after receiving a report of an ‘unresponsive female’ via a possible ‘drug overdose,’ subsequently determined to be Panettiere.
Officials, who attempted lifesaving measures prior to declaring the actress deceased, said that no signs of trauma or foul play were evident in their probe into Panettiere’s death, which remains ongoing.
