"Empire" star Bryshere Gray has been arrested on domestic violence charges in Goodyear, Arizona, after a woman identifying herself as his wife called 911. The Goodyear Police Department reported that Gray, best known for playing the role of Hakeem Lyon on the Fox series, was taken into custody early Monday morning after receiving a call from his wife claiming that she was assaulted by the 26-year-old actor at their residence at around 10:15 p.m.on Sunday.
Assaulted, Strangled Until She Lost Consciousness
According to the press release, Gray's wife called police after flagging down a citizen at a gas station in the Phoenix suburb for help. The woman, who had multiple injuries visible on her body, told police that Gray assaulted her for several hours and strangled her until, at one point, she temporarily lost consciousness.
She was taken to a nearby hospital where she received treatment for her injuries and later discharged. "Goodyear Detectives and Victim's Advocate continued to assist her after her discharge from the hospital," the department wrote on Facebook in a post accompanied by Gray's mugshot.
SWAT Called in After Gray Refused to Cooperate
According to the department, when police arrived at the Gray residence, the actor refused to come out and talk to the officers. Eventually, a SWAT unit and crisis negotiations officers were called in to assist and at 7 a.m. on Monday, Gray approached the front of his residence and surrendered to the police.
He was arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and disorderly conduct. This isn't Gray's first run-in with the law. The actor, who plays the younger brother of Jussie Smollett's character on the Chicago-based TV show, was pulled over last year after the temporary license plate of the Rolls Royce he was driving failed to match the vehicle's registration.
He was arrested on a misdemeanor registration charge and ticketed for driving an uninsured vehicle as well as failure to carry a driver's license.
Jussie Smollett's Alleged Assault
"Empire" was canceled after a six-season run last year, after Jussie Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racially and politically motivated assault. Law enforcement in Chicago later charged the actor with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly fabricating the story and filing a false police report.
Those charges were later dropped, though Smollett was indicted in February on six charges of disorderly conduct, as previously reported. Smollett has denied the allegations and was countersuing for malicious prosecution, though a judge dismissed the suit in April.
