Former WCW wrestler Van Hammer has been arrested and charged with DUI after allegedly hitting a 5-year old boy with his car according to the Palm Beach Post. Along with being charged with a DUI, Van Hammer is charged with leaving the scene of an injury crash as the boy was thrown on top of the car’s hood. The incident happened in Boyton Beach, Florida and Van Hammer, whose real name is Mark Hildreth, was traveling 58 mph in a 38 mph zone. The boy was taken to Delray Medical Center as a trauma patient. As of Sunday, the boy was in stable condition.
Hildreth was in court on Monday morning and his bail was set for $125,000 with an option for house arrest. Prosecutors told the court that Hildreth had an arrest in Georgia back in 2004 for DUI.
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According to the police report, the boy and his father were riding bikes when one bike veered in front of Hildreth’s 2014 Mercedes-Benz. It was determined that Hildreth was going 58mph and once the accident happened, Hildreth said, “He jumped in front of me.” Witnesses said Hildreth jumped back in his car and drove off despite being told to stop.
“The father picked up the son off the road,” Eric Tilghman, a witness, said to the Palm Beach Post. “The kid was crying. The dad was crying. The guy was out of the car.”
Tilghman continued: “I’m looking at the guy and he’s getting back in the car. We’re all yelling at him, ‘Don’t you leave. Don’t you leave!”
Police found Hildreth sitting on his porch steps and he was then identified by witnesses. Police said Hildreth “made statements about being involved in the crash.” He denied drinking but he was slurring his words and had alcohol on his breath.
Back in 2013, Hildreth told the Palm Beach Post he had a drinking problem. He said: “I realized that if I don’t change, I was surely going to die.” He added: “I stay sober by helping other people get sober.”
Hildreth is known for his work in WCW in the 1990s. He was part of The Flock where Raven was the leader and he was granted the opportunity to face Diamond Dallas Page for the United States Heavyweight Championship in 1998. He lost the match and would continue to wrestle until his retirement in 2003.
