by Dane McGuire
Per the San Jose Police Department, former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Cain Velasquez has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after an alleged shooting incident Monday afternoon in San Jose.
NBC Bay Area first reported the news of Velasquez’s involvement in the shooting in Morgan Hill, Calif. TMZ first reported that Velasquez was facing an attempted murder charge on Tuesday morning.
SJPD’s Media Relations Twitter account posted:
“4/ 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.”
The department did not initially identify the suspect or victim, who was taken to a local hospital. Police say the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“Units are currently at the scene of a shooting near the intersection of Monterey Hwy and Bailey Ave,” San Jose Police said as part of initial Twitter updates
As reported by multiple outlets including ESPN, online records showed late Monday night that Velasquez was being held at the Santa Clara County main jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday at noon PT.
ESPN reported Velasquez’s team has not responded to a call for comment as of Tuesday morning.
He last competed in MMA in February 2019, a first-round knockout loss to future UFC champion Francis Ngannou.He announced his retirement from mixed martial arts nine months later transitioning full-time into professional wrestling.
Velasquez was a two-time UFC heavyweight champion but was a champion plagued by injuries.
After a brief stint in the WWE, Velasquez has been working with AAA, a Mexico-based professional wrestling promotion.
ESPN noted in its report its sources said Velasquez was set to continue wrestling this year.
CageNation will continue to follow this developing story for updates.