This situation seems to be getting worse and worse. Actress Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, crashed into at least three parked cars and somehow drove onto a neighbor’s property in the early morning hours on March 31, Radar Online reported on May 14. The incident occurred a few weeks before he was arrested on domestic violence charges.

An eyewitness told the outlet that Hickerson, 30, was driving his black SUV at 2:30 a.m. on March 31 when he lost control and hit three cars and a neighbor’s gate. His car was reportedly completely turned around and stuck between a gate and a parked car. “The crash was so loud it woke up neighbors,” the source said. “It was terrifying.”

The onlooker claimed that a woman exited Hickerson’s car and fled the scene. They also noted that it seemed to them like Hickerson was intoxicated. “He kept saying ‘I’ll buy you 12 cars! Don’t call the cops!'” the insider told Radar.

However, a neighbor called the Los Angeles Police Department and they arrived on the scene around 2:54 a.m. for a DUI investigation. “The cops ran his plates so they knew his address,” the witness said. “They went to where he lives, and no one answered the door … It was a hit and run. He just vanished.” The source said Hickerson returned the next day and apologized, and no charges were filed.

Hayden Pannettiere Wearing a Flower Dress with Brian Hickerson
gotpap/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

That all took place a little over a month before Hickerson was arrested for domestic violence on May 2. Panettiere, 29, was reportedly out drinking with her boyfriend in Hollywood on May 1, and when they headed back home, they allegedly got into an argument that got physical. Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, told Radar Online at the time that she didn’t know about the arrest but wasn’t totally surprised by the incident. “I’m in shock,” she said. “I knew he had an incident with his father and he has a tendency to do that [physical violence],” she revealed. “Never had I thought it would be against Hayden or I would have addressed it sooner. I have addressed many things.”

“Her family and friends are worried about her,” a source told Life & Style in October. “Hayden’s been drinking too much and acting out. Wladimir was a calming influence on her. Now that he’s not in the picture, she seems to be losing control.” And it doesn’t sound like her boyfriend is doing much better.

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