Cain Velasquez Charged with Attempted Murder

NBC Bay Area has obtained a cell phone recording that appears to show former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in a high-speed chase on Monday afternoon.

**Editor"s Note: Updated 10:35 a.m. EST on 3/3/22

More information has been revealed in the alleged incident on Monday afternoon that led to former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez being arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Per a report from The Mercury News, Velasquez allegedly followed the parents of Harry Goularte, the man accused of sexually assaulting a young relative of Velasquez. The parents were picking up Goularte to obtain an electronic monitoring device, a requirement of his release from custody, a release that occurred despite objections from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The report states that Velasquez engaged in a high speed chase for around 11 miles. During the chase, Velasquez allegedly fired once before ramming his vehicle into the vehicle carrying Goularte. Velasquez then fired additional shots, one of which hitting Paul Bender, Goularte"s stepfather.

Velasquez was detained during a traffic stop after the incident and has been formally charged with 10 counts including first-degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting an occupied motor vehicle. If found guilty, Velasquez could face 20 years to life in prison.

"The sad tragedy is that Mr. Velasquez chose to take the law into his own hands, endangering the public and everyone in the truck," Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "This act of violence also causes more pain and suffering to his family."

Since news broke detailing the potential motive, Velasquez has received overwhelming support from locals and those in the MMA community.

"Although there may be some people who really understand the motivations of the defendant in this case, [Velasquez’s] actions on Feb. 28 were very reckless," deputy district attorney Aaron French said after the hearing, via The Mercury News. "What he did was fire off a firearm during rush hour while there were many people on the roads. His conduct put countless innocent bystanders and innocent people within that vehicle in a lot of danger.

"There is no legitimate claim of self defense under the law."

**Editor"s Note: Updated 9:00 p.m. EST on 3/1/22

Multiple sources and court records are painting a clearer picture of an incident on Monday afternoon where former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez allegedly shot a man leaving him with non-life threatening injuries. 

In a report by the Denver Post, Velasquez allegedly shot at a man who was recently charged with molesting a close relative. That man is 43-year old Harry Eugene Goularte who lives at a home that operates as a daycare run by his mother. This is according to a criminal complaint that charged Goularte with a single felony count of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14. 

Goularte was arraigned on Friday and despite objections from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, he was granted supervised release. 

Three days later, Velasquez would allegedly open fire at a vehicle carrying Goularte. His stepfather was in the vehicle along with one other person. Goularte’s stepfather was hit in the shooting, but is expected to survive. 

No other information has been released by local police beyond location details and their suspicion of Velasquez being the shooter. Velasquez has refused to speak to the media thus far.

**Original Report

According to TMZ, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been charged with attempted murder following an alleged shooting that left one man injured on Monday.

NBC Bay Area reported that police responded to an incident at 3:14 p.m. on Monday afternoon in Morgan Hill, CA. The circumstances and motive are not known at this time, but police have confirmed that one man was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries while the other, Velasquez, was arrested.

Velasquez trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA, roughly 25 miles where the alleged incident took place and was born in Salinas, 40 miles from Morgan Hill where the arrest occurred. 

Records online show that Velasquez was being held at the County of Santa Clara Department of Corrections facility without bail on Monday evening. Velasquez is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday at noon, pacific time. 

Velasquez (14-3-0) last competed under the UFC banner in 2019 when he was stopped by current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 26 seconds. A series of injuries kept him on the shelf for the majority of his last few years with the promotion. Between 2015 and 2019, Velasquez only competed three times going 1-2. 

After moving on from MMA, Velasquez transitioned to professional wrestling, competing for the AAA promotion in Mexico. Velasquez was also briefly signed by the WWE where he faced Brock Lesnar at the 2019 Crown Jewel event. Velasquez was scheduled for the 2020 Royal Rumble match, but an injury forced his withdrawal. He was released by the promotion shortly afterward. 

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