Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested on Monday for what is believed to be a murder attempt on a man charged with molesting one of the fighter’s close relatives, according to the Denver Post. The incident took place in the South Bay city of Morgan Hill.
Velasquez, 39, allegedly attempted to shoot Harry Eugene Goularte when he opened fire on a car containing Goularte and two others. Velasquez did not hit Goularte but struck Goularte’s stepfather. The stepfather is expected to survive.
The former fighter has been charged with attempted murder and is currently being held in the Santa Clara County jail with no bail.
Velasquez’s relative said Goularte abused him as a child at his mother’s day care center, where the suspect also lived. The alleged sex abuser was granted supervised release, despite objections from California prosecutors.
Velasquez is a two-time heavyweight champion, holding the title in 2010 and 2011 and then again from 2012 to 2015. Velasquez retired in 2019, and currently coaches at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.