Following an alleged physical dispute earlier this month, Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend has been charged with felony domestic violence.
According to sources who spoke to TMZ, Brian Hickerson and Panetierre had been out drinking around Hollywood on the evening of May 1 before the alleged physical altercation, which occurred at their home. After responding to a call around 2 a.m., law enforcement arrived at their residence, where they noticed red marks on Panettiere’s body. Following interviews with both subjects, police determined that her boyfriend of nine months had started the fight, sources told TMZ. Hickerson was arrested at 2:25 a.m. and booked and on suspicion of felony domestic violence; the next day, he was released on $50,000 bond.
Hickerson is now facing a potential felony count. On May 23, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged Hickerson with one count of felony domestic violence, which could land him in prison for up to four years if he’s convicted. A Los Angeles judge has also issued a protective order against Hickerson, per RadarOnline, which prevents him from coming within 100 yards of Panettiere.
While this is the first reported incident of domestic violence involving Panettiere and her boyfriend of nine months, RadarOnline reports that there were other incidents that had gone unreported, according to the District Attorney. Furthermore, this isn’t Hickerson’s first run-in with the police. Citing police reports, TMZ notes that Brian got into a physical altercation with his father last October, which culminated in the cops responding to a call for assault and battery. However, it doesn’t appear that Hickerson faced any charges over the incident.
This post has been updated.
