André the Giant was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on August 21, 1989, after a confrontation with KCRG cameraman Ben Hildebrandt following a wrestling match. André was charged with assault and criminal mischief. He was later acquitted of assault but found guilty of criminal mischief, fined $100, and ordered to pay $233 toward camera repairs.
What happened after the match
André René Roussimoff, known as André the Giant, had just wrestled the Ultimate Warrior at Cedar Rapids’ Five Seasons Center. The Associated Press reported that the match lasted 30 seconds. Afterward, André confronted KCRG cameraman Ben Hildebrandt.
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According to the AP’s August 22, 1989 account, Cedar Rapids Assistant Police Chief Jim Barnes said André believed Hildebrandt was not authorized to film the match. The report said André put the cameraman in a headlock and pulled out camera-control cables. These details describe the reported confrontation; they should not be confused with the later court verdict.
Barnes told the AP: “Thank God he was cooperative in the arrest. A guy that big, he could cause some damage.” André was charged with assault and criminal mischief. His manager posted bond, and André was released.
Why the arrest date is August 21, 1989
The incident took place on August 21, 1989. The next day’s AP report described the arrest as happening Monday night, and a later KRNA retrospective also gives August 21, 1989. A 2019 local-radio recap gives 1987, but that date conflicts with the contemporaneous account and appears to be an error.
What the court decided
A November 8, 1990 Los Angeles Times report said André was found not guilty of assault and guilty of criminal mischief. The newspaper reported a $100 fine and a court order for André to reimburse KCRG $233 for camera repair.
Rank #2
The AP’s 1989 report had put the initial equipment-damage estimate at $300. That was an early estimate; the $233 figure was the later court-ordered reimbursement. They are different figures from different stages of reporting, not interchangeable measures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the competing accounts
- Contemporary account: The AP report, published the day after the arrest, is the basis for the immediate-event details and Barnes’s attributed explanation.
- Later legal outcome: The Los Angeles Times report from 1990 supplies the reported verdict and financial penalties.
- Retrospective date: Later summaries are not all reliable on chronology; the 1987 date in one 2019 recap conflicts with the 1989 contemporaneous report.
The available reporting supports a specific account of this arrest: a dispute over whether the match could be filmed, criminal-mischief conviction, and acquittal on the assault charge. It does not require folding unrelated stories about André’s size or legendary feats into the event.
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