Hayden Panettiere's on-off boyfriend's brother Zach speaks out following arrest
Zach Hickerson has broken his silence after being arrested following a bar altercation involving his brother, Hayden Panettiere's on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson.
The incident comes less than a month after the sudden death of the Heroes and Nashville actress, who tragically died at age 36.
Brian and Zach Hickerson were both present at the South Carolina home where Panettiere was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead by paramedics who failed to revive her following CPR.
According to PEOPLE, amongst other news outlets, the brothers had been drinking at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville on Saturday (12 Sept) when an argument reportedly broke out at the bar.
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TMZ reports that Brian allegedly threw a bar stool during the confrontation, while footage obtained by the outlet appeared to show him being removed from the establishment.
Police were called following a report of an 'assault', after which Brian was handcuffed but not arrested. He was subsequently released.
The altercation also saw Brian apparently confront police while sitting handcuffed outside the venue.
In footage reported by PEOPLE, he could be heard accusing the Greenville Police Department of leaking information about Panettiere's death, shouting: "GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died."
Zach, meanwhile, was arrested for disorderly conduct after police alleged he was highly intoxicated and had been yelling profanities.
In footage shared by TMZ following his release, Zach addressed the backlash surrounding the incident, insisting that Hayden's death had contributed to the situation.
"It's just super frustrating all that we've been through and all the rumours that get started, and then people believe them, and then they attack as a result of the rumours," he said to the outlet.
"That's what p****s me off."
Zach went on to suggest that people online were making assumptions based on information they had seen, saying people 'fill in their own holes' before attacking others.
He did not go into detail about what he believed had been wrongly reported, but said: "I'll clarify eventually."
Lastly, Zach declined to say how his brother Brian had been coping since his former partner's loss.
The latest incident has inevitably drawn attention back to the circumstances surrounding Panettiere's death.
The actress was found unresponsive at a Greenville residence last month, with emergency services responding to a report of cardiac arrest.
Police have said that their preliminary investigation did not indicate signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, while an autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.
Her official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
According to Zach's account, he had gone to the property where Panettiere was discovered after being unable to reach his brother or the mother-of-one.
He said he woke Brian before the pair realised she was unconscious, with Zach calling 911 while Brian administered Narcan and performed CPR.
Brian's lawyer has previously stressed that the investigation should be allowed to continue, saying there were no signs of foul play.
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