Former martial artist Cain Velázquez has been sentenced to five years in prison for carrying out a vigilante gunfire that injured an unintended target and a bullet that was sprayed near a young child leaving school.
The shooting occurred three years ago, when two-time UFC heavyweight champions discovered a man accused of sexually assaulting his 4-year-old son, and decided to put justice into his own hands, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
In March 2022, he ran through three Silicon Valley cities, chasing a pickup truck carrying suspected molestation, Harry Goallete and two others. As he speeded at the Morgan Hill intersection, he began unraveling multiple rounds from his .40 caliber handgun, prosecutors said.
As the victim tried to escape, he rammed into their car and continued firing. The driver hit the torso and the main artery was amputated into the arm. Prosecutors said a bullet volley struck near Morgan Hill’s charter school, just as students had left the day.
Velazquez’s 11-mile car chase was arrested that afternoon after a screeching halt in San Jose.
Last year he did not plead for felony attempted murder, assault or multiple weapons charges. On Monday, the 42-year-old retired fighter jet was sentenced to five years in prison.
Cain Velazquez will be attending a hearing in San Jose on March 7, 2022. He was accused of seeking revenge against a man arrested for allegedly abusing his son.
(Aric Club/AP)
“One man who puts the law into his own hands left behind injured and endangered school children, teachers and many others in our community,” Dist said. Atty. Jeff Rosen in a statement on the verdict. “If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, apply for a badge.”
According to Velazquez’s lawyer, he learned in February 2022 that his son had been abused “hundreds of times” while attending the San Marine Day Care Center run by Goulalte’s mother.
Guralte was arrested in February 2022 on suspicion of perverted behaviour with Minor. However, the judge released him two days later. The next day, Velazquez looks at him on the street and decides to seek revenge.
Investigators discovered searches for “sexual assault cases with victims.” [sic] “Family fight back” and “Sexual assault case with victims [sic] “The family will retaliate over his phone,” the prosecutor said.
Goularte, 46, is pending felony child abuse charges, prosecutors said. He remains in custody after the judge granted release of the superintendent through GPS oversight despite objections from the District Attorney’s Office.
Velazquez entered his no-contest plea in August, resulting in the removal of a premeditated attempted murder charge against him. In other words, he no longer faced a life sentence.
He was released from prison on $1 million bail in November 2022 after being held for more than 250 days. He had to wear a GPS monitor and go to outpatient treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This is a degenerative brain disease that can be caused by a history of concussion.
His lawyers alleged that past traumatic brain damage and the possibility of a CTE diagnosis impaired Velázquez’s ability to control his impulses.
On Monday he was taken into custody.
Velazquez was born in Salinas and grew up in Yuma, Arizona, where he competed on the Arizona State University wrestling team. He won the Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight titles in 2010 and 2012.
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