Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has been charged with 10 offences including first-degree attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft, and assault with a firearm.
The San Jose Police Department booked the 39-year-old following a shooting on Monday night (1 March), which resulted in one man being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
In a statement on Twitter, San Jose Police said: “Cain Velasquez was the suspect arrested yesterday in connection with this incident.
“He was booked into Santa Clara County main jail for attempted murder. The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time.”
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The Santa Clara District Attorney Office today released a statement confirming Velasquez had been charged.
The statement said Velasquez fired a gun ‘multiple times’ into a truck carrying three men.
It went on: “Velasquez is charged with attempted, premeditated murder, and other related charges. He will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. in Department 23 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. He could face incarceration if convicted.”
The district attorney’s office said the attack was motivated by revenge.
DA Jeff Rosen said: “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.”
The incident unfolded at Cochran Road and Butterfield Boulevard in Morgan Hill around 3.00pm Monday.
Velasquez, driving a Ford truck, followed the victims’ Chevrolet Silverado truck - resulting in an 11-mile high-speed chase.
Velasquez rammed his truck into the Silverado and fired multiple rounds with his registered .40 handgun.
Velasquez was stopped and arrested without incident by Morgan Hill police.
The former UFC star had a long and impressive career in the sport - he beat Brock Lesnar to win the UFC heavyweight title in 2010, he later lost to Junior dos Santos, before reclaiming the title in 2012 - after which he kept the championship through to 2015.
He had his last MMA fight in 2019, where he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou.
Claire Reid