Why was Cain Velasquez arrested?
Cain Velasquez was recently arrested for attempted murder after allegedly being involved in a shooting incident.
The former UFC heavyweight champion has been charged following the incident, which took place in San Jose, California on Monday. Investigations are still ongoing, but Velasquez was reportedly jailed without the possibility of bail at the Santa Clara County Jail on Tuesday.
Prior to Velasquez's arrest, San Jose Police initially confirmed that a shooting had taken place at the location on Monday. However, police have not confirmed the identity of the victim, who is said to have been rushed to a local hospital nearby. The motive for the shooting is still unknown.
An official statement was released by the San Jose Police Department’s media relations team on Tuesday morning. It read:
"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."
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. https://t.co/bBuuPQytNx
A recent update revealed that Velasquez is scheduled to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday. The case is still under investigation and the aforementioned details could be subject to change.
Cain Velasquez was backed to make a UFC return weeks before the shooting incident
Cain Velasquez last fought in the UFC in 2019. He decided to enter the world of professional wrestling soon after and had a short spell with the WWE.
Roughly three weeks before allegedly being involved in the shooting incident, the 39-year-old's longtime AKA coach Javier Mendez talked about his potential MMA return.
According to Mendez, he's not sure about Velasquez's desire to return, but believes the former heavyweight champion might consider it for the right price. In an interview with MMA Junkie's Danny Segura earlier this month, Mendez said:
“He’s got it if he wants it... He’s got it. But I don’t know now if he wants to come back. I don’t speak with him about those things. But it’s possible. If someone says, ‘Hey, here’s $2 million, let’s go fight,’ he might say, ‘Eh, give me $4 [million] and I’ll do it.’” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Watch Mendez talk about a potential Velasquez UFC return below: