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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison for a 2022 shooting incident. Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County on Monday after pleading no contest to attempted murder and felony assault charges last August. He will receive credit for time already served.
The incident took place in February 2022 when Velasquez fired multiple shots at a truck carrying three people, including Harry Goularte, a 46-year-old man facing felony child molestation charges. Officials say Velasquez chased the truck for 11 miles before opening fire. While Goularte was unharmed, his stepfather, who was driving, was hit twice.
Goularte had been arrested earlier that month for allegedly molesting a 4-year-old child at a daycare run by his family. He was released without bail and was on his way to get an electronic monitoring bracelet when Velasquez pursued him.
Velasquez later admitted that his actions were reckless. Speaking on his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, he said, “What I did was dangerous, not just for the people involved but also for innocent bystanders. We cannot take the law into our own hands.”
His lawyer, Renee Hessling, called the sentence "bittersweet," adding that Velasquez had taken responsibility for his actions.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized that justice should be pursued legally, saying, “One man’s decision to take the law into his own hands left an innocent man wounded and put many others at risk.”
