[UPDATE] UFC’s Cain Velasquez Arrested for Attempted Murder in Alleged Revenge Shooting
UPDATE: Cain Velasquez has officially been arraigned and charged with 10 crimes including attempted murder.
Velasquez was in court today (March 2) and was officially charged. The crimes he was charged for include include first degree attempted murder, premeditated murder, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting an occupied motor vehicle.
Velasquez allegedly fired a .40 caliber semi-automatic gun into a Chevy Silverado occupied by 43-year-old Harry Goularte, hitting Goularte’s 63-year-old stepfather.
“Velasquez, 39, fired a handgun multiple times into a truck carrying Harry Goularte, and two older relatives and rammed the truck with his truck,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated in a news release. “Goularte’s male relative, 63, was struck once, but expected to survive.
The sad tragedy is that Mr. Velasquez chose to take the law into his own hands, endangering the public and everyone in the truck. This act of violence also causes more pain and suffering to his family.”
Harry Goularte was released under the conditions that he stay in home detention, stay 100 yards away from any child under 14, and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Goularte was on his way to get the monitor when Velasquez started shooting, prosecutors said.
The original story is below.
Cain Velasquez, a former UFC Champion and WWE wrestler, was arrested Monday (Feb. 28) for attempted murder in connection with a shooting.
You might remember Velasquez for his 11 year run in the UFC or his short stint in the WWE. The former heavyweight champion retired from Dana White's organization in 2019 after a loss to current champion Frances Ngannou.
Tweets from the San Jose Police Department confirmed that Cain Velasquez, 39, was arrested for attempted murder in connection with a shooting.
Reports say that Velasquez shot at a vehicle with three individuals inside, hitting one of them, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
Would you root for an attempted murderer?
Inside the vehicle was a man who was recently accused of molesting one of Velasquez's young family members.
While the identity of the alleged victim is being withheld due to their status as a minor, the accused is Harry Eugene Goularte, 43, who lives at a home-daycare business run by his mother.
According to court documents obtained by NBC Bay Area, the alleged abuse may have happened more than "100 times".
Goularte was arraigned Friday on one felony count of “a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14.” He was released despite objections from the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office.
Maybe your answer has changed, so I'll ask again. Would you root for an attempted murderer?
Inside the vehicle were three people. The one struck by Velasquez's shot was the alleged abuser's stepfather. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
'#FreeCain'
Velasquez, who is currently being held without bail and is due in court today (March 2), has no shortage of support coming from his former peers in the fight game.
Many former and current MMA fighters threw their support behind Velasquez noting that if the motives behind his actions are true, then he was justified.
Ben Askren
Anthony Pettis
Derek Brunson
Sean Strickland
Chito Vera
Velasquez is due in court today (March 2) at noon local time. We will update this story as it unfolds.