After reportedly shooting a man accused of assaulting his cousin earlier this week, former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has been arrested. On Wednesday, Velasquez was charged with attempted murder and many other firearms assault counts.
Since the shooting on Monday afternoon, Velasquez, 39, appeared in court on Wednesday for the first time since the shooting. According to The Mercury News, his arraignment has been postponed until Monday. He’ll be held in custody until his bond hearing, which is also scheduled for Monday.
On Monday afternoon in Morgan Hill, California, Velasquez allegedly followed Harry Goularte’s parents on their way to pick him up to get an electronic monitoring device, according to authorities. Goularte had been accused of molestation in a different case just days previously, reportedly molesting one of Velasquez’s minor relatives.
According to prosecutors, Velasquez shot Goularte once after following them for a while. After a “more intense chase,” Velasquez allegedly slammed his vehicle into theirs and then fired numerous times, striking Goularte’s stepfather in the arm and torso. After that, Velasquez is said to have fled the scene.
The chase lasted around 11 miles.
‘There is no legitimate claim of self defense under the law’ – D.A
Goularte, 43, was charged with a single count of a lewd and lascivious act with a kid under the age of 14 at his arraignment on Friday.
According to ESPN, Cain Velasquez’s younger relative informed authorities that Goularte led him into a bathroom at the home daycare centre that his mother operates and touched his genitals. This happened “100 times,” according to Goularte, who urged the child not to tell anyone. According to investigators, the child watched other children enter the bathroom with Goularte as well.
Following his detention, Goularte was granted supervised release and has denied any wrongdoing.
According to the story, Velasquez did not speak at the hearing on Wednesday, although he was surrounded by fans.
“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, “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.”
Velasquez was a two-division heavyweight champion. He hasn’t fought since being knocked out in 26 seconds by Frances Ngannou in 2019.
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