Actor Bryshere Gray is in legal hot water after being accused of assault and battery during a heated confrontation at a hotel involving an associate.
The incident reportedly unfolded Friday (June 13) at the Homewood Suites, Chesapeake, Virginia, where Gray, best known for playing Hakeem Lyon on the Fox series Empire, allegedly got into a physical altercation with Dustin Wilkins, an associate, also known as Chosen Wilkins.
According to a WAVY-TV 10 report, Wilkins claimed the clash began when he tried to stop the Empire actor from leaving the hotel without paying his bill.
“You have enough problems… I am trying to save your life,” Wilkins allegedly told Gray before things escalated. Wilkins said Gray “charged towards me from around the car. Charged into me with his shoulder… and fighting me as I was recording the incident over the phone… a blunt blow into me and punching me.”
Virginia law allows private citizens to file misdemeanor complaints directly with a magistrate. Wilkins did just that, resulting in the charge being issued. Chesapeake Police confirmed they did not arrest Gray.
Gray was booked on a misdemeanor assault and battery charge and later released on bond.
Wilkins, who described himself as a longtime friend of Gray, told WAVY-TV 10 that the actor is “dealing with some very interesting mental health issues.”
He also said he helped Gray post $5500 bond, adding, “he wouldn’t survive in jail” and “needs mental help,” not incarceration.
Bryshere Gray is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Wednesday (June 18).
This isn’t Gray’s first run-in with the law. He was arrested in 2020 on felony domestic violence charges, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2021 and was arrested again in 2022 for violating probation.