Pop Culture

Former 'Empire' Actor Bryshere Gray Arrested for Allegedly Physically Abusing Woman

Former 'Empire' actor Bryshere Gray, who portrayed Hakeem Lyon in the series, has been arrested after he allegedly physically abused a woman.

Bryshere Y. Gray in the "We Got Us" series' 100th episode of EMPIRE
Image via Getty/FOX
Getty

Former Empire actor Bryshere Gray has been arrested after he allegedly physically abused a woman, per TMZ.

According to legal documents, Maricopa, Arizona police were called last week after a woman said she the actor’s “behavior was escalating and she was concerned for her safety.” She claimed that Gray pulled her hair, and threw a box of food at her among other instances of aggressive behavior.

Officers added that Gray has had multiple incidents with police in recent months, including one domestic disturbance call in October. Since he failed to tell his probation officer about these incidents, he’s been arrested for a probation violation.

The actor, who portrayed Hakeem Lyon on Fox’s Empire, entered a guilty plea in a domestic violence case last year. As part of the agreement, he spent ten days in a county jail and was placed on a three-year probation program. He was additionally ordered to pay restitution and enroll in a domestic violence offender treatment program. Other charges related to July, 2020 incident were dropped.

Goodyear, Arizona authorities said that they responded to calls at a Circle K convenience store after someone notified police that Gray had assaulted a woman. The victim was later identified as his wife. It’s unclear if the woman who called police this month is the same person. In 2020, she flagged down a citizen for help and said that she had been assaulted at her home for “hours” by Gray, who has not had a major acting role since Empire ended in 2020.

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