Hayden Panettiere's Abusive Boyfriend Brian Hickerson Was Photographed Barefoot and Hiding Under Table Before Being Arrested in 2025: Report

A newly surfaced photograph shows Brian Hickerson, the on-and-off boyfriend of the late Hayden Panettiere, barefoot and crouched beneath a restaurant table shortly before he was arrested in Los Angeles in 2025.

The image, obtained by TMZ, was taken on August 2, 2025, more than a year before Panettiere's death this August.

It shows Hickerson seated on the floor under a table at Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood, Calif., with a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy standing nearby.

In the image, Hickerson is positioned with his back to the wall, gripping the underside of the table above him, with one of his sneakers visible on the floor beside him.

A sheriff's deputy stands over the table, looking down. The photo captures the moments before he was removed from the restaurant and taken into custody.

The scene unfolded at a well-known West Hollywood bar and grill. According to sources cited by TMZ, Hickerson entered the restaurant appearing to be under the influence and behaved erratically before the situation escalated.

The incident, as described by TMZ's sources, began at the bar. Hickerson allegedly broke a drinking glass and, at one point, removed a shoe and threw it at another customer who was eating inside.

Staff asked him to leave, and when he refused, an employee tried to physically remove him. He would not go, and deputies were called to the scene, eventually taking him into custody.

Prosecutors later declined to file charges over the restaurant incident, citing insufficient evidence. The owner of Barney's Beanery said Hickerson wasn't permanently banned and was allowed to return.

The restaurant episode wasn't an isolated one that week. Four days later, Hickerson was arrested again, this time on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. That case was ultimately dismissed after he entered a diversion program and completed 10 Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Both 2025 incidents predate Panettiere's death by roughly a year. So far, no connection has been drawn between them and the circumstances of her death, and Hickerson has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with it.

By several accounts, Hickerson and Panettiere had a lengthy and troubled relationship. During their romance, Hickerson was arrested multiple times, and in 2021 he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail and four years of probation. Panettiere's attorney said at the time that the actress had endured psychological, emotional and physical abuse.

Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16 and pronounced dead at 36. Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the scene and placed the 911 call. Police said their preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play, and an official cause of death remains pending.

The actress is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.