Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested after he allegedly shot a man near an intersection north of Morgan Hill Feb. 28, according to authorities.
San Jose Police reported on social media Tuesday morning that Velasquez had been booked at the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony attempted murder in relation to the previous evening’s shooting. The shooting occurred just after 3pm near the intersection of Monterey Highway and Bailey Avenue, according to the SJPD Twitter feed.
At 4:28pm Feb. 28, the San Jose Police Public Information Officer tweeted about the incident, “One adult male shot at least once (was) transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”
Velasquez is the only suspect in custody for the shooting, according to police. The motive and other circumstances of the shooting are still under police investigation.
The shooting tied up rush-hour traffic while police investigated and cleared the scene. The intersection at Monterey and Bailey was cleared by about 7pm, according to police.
Velasquez is being held at the main county jail with no bail, according to the Santa Clara County Jail website. His first court date is scheduled for 12pm March 2.
Velasquez, a resident of Gilroy, is a former heavyweight world champion in the UFC mixed martial arts fighting circuit. He moved to Gilroy in 2010, and had lived in Morgan Hill for about two years before that, according to a previous Gilroy Dispatch story about the former fighter and wrestler.
He has twice won the UFC’s heavyweight division, with victories over other high-profile fighters including Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar and Antonio Silva. Velasquez has trained out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.
Velasquez retired from UFC in 2019, and has competed in professional wrestling since his retirement.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.
