Police break up cockfighting ring, but 82 roosters had to be killed, CA cops say

Police were responding to a shooting in Chino, California on Dec. 28 when they ended up breaking up an illegal cockfighting ring with around 100 roosters, authorities said.

Officers found Gonzalo Alcaraz Rodriguez, 41, from Los Angeles suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, KTLA reported. He was later taken to a hospital.

Deputies also found a second gunshot victim: Marco Alaniz, 32, from Hesperia, California.

The shooting suspect is a Hispanic man last seen wearing a baseball cap and a red shirt, according to the Chino Police Department in a post.

Police said of the 100 roosters found on the scene, 18 were already dead, NBC Los Angeles reported. The roosters that were found alive had to be euthanized, because they had Newcastle disease.

Newcastle disease is considered a contagious and fatal disease to birds and poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“They’ll have these gatherings, they’ll bet money. They don’t care if the animal survives or not. Some of them still have the blades attached to the leg,” Fabiola Leon, of the Inland Valley Humane Society, told NBC Los Angeles.

This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Police break up cockfighting ring, but 82 roosters had to be killed, CA cops say."