Cops Snag Massive Number of Roosters During Bust of Cockfighting Ring

The San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department announced the shuttering of an illegal cockfighting ring, which resulted in almost three dozen detainments and an investigation into the extent of the enterprise.

The law enforcement agency revealed in a Jan. 19 statement that officers from the Yucaipa Station were sent to a location with a reported illegal cockfight.

They arrived at a site where “approximately 50 vehicles” were seen, with most trying to drive away when the police were spotted.

That led to a dangerous situation for the officers.

“When deputies attempted to stop a vehicle, the driver accelerated toward a patrol unit,” the statement said. “The deputy avoided being struck and when he attempted to initiate a traffic stop, a pursuit ensued.”

The driver and three passengers of the vehicle were taken into custody. Jose Adame, the driver, was arrested and had his car impounded.

The rear cargo area of the vehicle had six roosters.

The overall operation resulted in the detainment of 33 people who were “spectators on the property,” where some 250 roosters were found.

Investigators found a fighting ring with a scoreboard and steel talons on the premises.

A man identified as Carlos Romero was seen by police via aerial assets “hiding inside of a truck at the rear of the property.”

He had seven live roosters in boxes, as well as a large sum of cash and “a hidden Ruger semi-automatic handgun inside the truck.”

Adame and Romero were both booked into jail.

A search of the property authorized by a warrant yielded the discovery of more steel talons and 24 firearms taken from a large safe.

San Bernardino County Animal Control meanwhile “recovered approximately 17 dead roosters, seized eight live roosters, and tagged 61 boxed roosters.”

This was not the first major cockfighting ring to be busted in recent months.

Potter County Sheriff’s Office in Texas, Amarillo Police, Texas Game Wardens, and the Texas Department of Public Safety recovered 170 roosters early last year and detained six illegal immigrants who were turned over to federal immigration authorities, per a report last February from KDFA-TV.

Ivan Guadelupe Herrera-Lopez and Salvador Sanches Chavez were each arrested on cockfighting charges, while Juana Sanchez Gonzalez was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

Every spectator also faced misdemeanor charges since “it is illegal to witness or watch a cockfighting event,” according to Potter County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dustin Langwell.

Texas Game Warden Ryan Hunter added to KDFA-TV that “if you’re aware of large gatherings, especially where you see a large amount of chicken coops or different equipment, boxes, etc. that show any kind of fighting rooster pictures on them, that’s something to be aware of.”

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