A bar fight in Greenville, South Carolina, over the weekend put two brothers in handcuffs, but Zach Hickerson says the real trouble started much earlier, on the internet. Zach and his brother Brian were arrested Saturday, and after his release, Zach told TMZ that swirling rumors about Hayden Panettiere’s Aug. 16 death were what pushed tempers over the edge.“It’s just super frustrating all that we’ve been through and all the rumors that get started and then people believe them and then they attack as a result of the rumors,”he said, adding simply,“That’s what pisses me off.”
The details of what happened inside that bar are still unclear, and Brian’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from Page Six. What we do know is that the Hickerson name has been tied up in headlines for years, and Zach says the misinformation that followed Panettiere’s death made an already painful time that much harder for everyone involved.
This story raises a question folks around here don’t take lightly: how do you handle grief when strangers online won’t stop talking? The rumor mill moves faster than the truth, but that doesn’t mean we have to feed it. Have you seen misinformation spread in your own community? Tell us on our Facebook page.
About the Author
Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
