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American professional wrestler Ronda Rousey defended MMA fighter Cain Velasquez over his alleged attempt in shooting a suspected child abuser.
"I would have done the same thing if not worse #freeCainVelasquez," she wrote on Twitter Thursday.
Her remarks come just days after Velasquez was arrested and charged with attempted murder and other charges over an alleged shooting in San Jose, California, on Monday. One man was shot at least once in the incident, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Velasquez, a former UFC heavyweight champion, allegedly shot one person while he attempted to shoot 43-year-old Harry Goularte, who was charged with "molesting" one of Velasquez's relatives, according to a statement by the district attorney's office in Santa Clara. The relative is a 4-year-old, per court documents, ABC News 7 reported.
The 39-year-old MMA fighter drove a Ford truck and engaged in a high-speed chase as he went after Goularte, who was in a truck with his stepfather and another relative, according to the district attorney's office statement.
Valesquez "rammed" his own truck into the truck carrying Goularte as he was chasing him through busy streets in San Jose.
Valesquez fired a handgun multiple times, according to the statement, into the truck with Goularte inside. A relative of Goularte, who was also in the truck, was hit in the shooting.
The former UFC heavyweight champion is being held at the Santa Clara County Jail without bail, according to online records that were viewed by Newsweek on Monday. Valesquez could face incarceration if he is convicted.
"The sad tragedy is that Mr. Velasquez chose to take the law into his own hands, endangering the public and everyone in the truck," Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in the statement. "This act of violence also causes more pain and suffering to his family."
The reported high-speed chase by Valesquez occurred after Goularte was released from custody on February 25 without bail on charges of molesting a child. The 43-year-old was arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court where a judge ordered his release over the district attorney's objections.
Goularte was released under the conditions that would stay in home detention in Morgan Hill and maintain a 100-yard distance away from any child under 14, according to the district attorney's office statement. He was also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Velasquez hasn't fought an MMA match since February 2019 when he was defeated by Francis Ngannou. He won the UFC heavyweight championship title from Brock Lesnar in October 2010.
Newsweek reached out to Rousey via UFC for comments and will update the story as soon as a response is received.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more