Bryshere Gray: Empire star arrested on domestic violence charges

Actor and rapper played Hakeem Lyon on all 102 episodes of the musical soap opera

Empire actor Bryshere Gray in 2018 (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Empire star Bryshere Gray has been arrested on domestic violence charges.

Gray, who played up-and-coming rapper Hakeem Lyon on the Taraji P Henson series, was taken into custody on Sunday (12 July), the Goodyear Police Department in Arizona confirms.

In a statement, Goodyear Police said they responded to a 911 call claiming that an adult woman had been allegedly assaulted at her home by her husband, who she identified as Gray.

In a further press release, police said that the woman had flagged down a bystander at a gas station and claimed that she had been assaulted for several hours. She also claimed that she had been choked to the point of unconsciousness.

The woman was treated for non life-threatening injuries and subsequently released from hospital.

A SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called out to assist in Gray’s arrest, and he was taken into custody without incident.

Gray was an original cast member on Empire, which came to a close in April after six seasons.

Away from the show, Gray played singer and rapper Michael Bivins in The New Edition Story, and recently appeared in the film Honey: Rise Up and Dance.

The Independent has reached out to Gray’s representatives for comment.