Empire actor Bryshere Gray who played as "Hakeem" arrested for domestic violence

EMPIRE actor Bryshere Gray has been accused of assaulting his wife and being in a nine hour standoff with a SWAT team at his home.

Cops said Gray, 26, was taken into custody at 7am by officers after allegedly barricading himself inside his home in Goodyear, Arizona.

The actor, who played Hakeem Lyon on the Fox TV series, was reportedly arrested after he refused to talk to police who arrived at his home.

Cops said the incident started at 10.15pm when they were called to a Circle K gas station to reports of a woman in distress.

Police reports detail the incident which began as the woman had flagged down a passerby for help.

She claimed she had been assaulted for several hours by her husband, reports Fox10.

The citizen drove the victim to the Circle K and called 911 where she told police her husband was Gray.

Gray's wife had "numerous visible injuries on her body", according to police.

She also stated that she was allegedly strangled at one point by Gray and temporarily lost consciousness.

Officers then went to the couple's home to contact him and he refused to exit the residence.

A SWAT team and negotiators were called to the scene due to the barricade situation - and the standoff lasted around nine hours.

He was eventually taken into custody after surrendering and was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, assault and disorderly conduct.