Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez charged with attempted murder after 11-mile car chase
Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez was charged with attempted murder and multiple other gun assault charges Wednesday after he allegedly shot a man accused of molesting his relative earlier this week.
Velasquez, 39, made an appearance in court Wednesday for the first time since the shooting on Monday afternoon. His arraignment, per The Mercury News, was postponed until Monday. He will remain in jail until a bail hearing that is also set for Monday.
According to prosecutors, Velasquez allegedly followed Harry Goularte’s parents on their way to pick him up to obtain an electronic monitoring device on Monday afternoon in Morgan Hill, California. Goularte was charged in a separate molestation case just days before after he allegedly molested one of Velasquez’s underage relatives.
After following them for some time, Velasquez shot once at Goularte, prosecutors said. Velasquez then allegedly rammed his vehicle into theirs after a “more aggressive chase” and then shot several more times, hitting Goularte’s stepfather in the arm and torso. Velasquez then allegedly fled the scene.
That chase went on for about 11 miles.
D.A.: ‘There is no legitimate claim of self defense under the law’
Goularte, 43, was arraigned Friday and charged with a single count of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14.
Velasquez’s relative, who is younger than 10, apparently told police that Goularte took him into a bathroom at the home daycare center that his mother runs and touched his genitals, according to ESPN. This apparently happened “100 times,” and Goularte told the child not to tell anybody. The child reportedly told police that he saw other children go into the bathroom with Goularte, too.
Goularte was granted supervised release after this arrest, and has denied any wrongdoing.
Velasquez did not speak at the hearing Wednesday, per the report, but there were several supporters there to back him up.
“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.”
Velasquez is a former two-time heavyweight champion. He hasn’t fought since 2019, when he was knocked out by Frances Ngannou in 26 seconds.
