More than 200 roosters and firearms found in cockfighting bust in Southern California

Two men were arrested on suspicion of operating a cockfighting ring involving more than 200 roosters in Southern California, authorities announced Monday.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies from the Yucaipa Station were dispatched around 10:02 a.m. Sunday to an illegal cockfighting ring on Avenue E in Yucaipa, according to the sheriff’s department. When deputies arrived, about 50 vehicles were at the address and most of them tried to drive away.

One of the drivers accelerated toward a patrol unit when deputies tried to stop the vehicle. The deputy dodged the car and tried to initiate a traffic stop, which led to a police pursuit, officials said.

The vehicle stopped near 16th Street and Yucaipa Boulevard, where a driver and three others were taken into custody, according to authorities. Six roosters were found in the cargo of the car and the driver, Jose Adame, was arrested on assault charges.

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Thirty-three spectators at the cockfight were detained and about 250 roosters were discovered, along with a fighting ring, a scoreboard and steel talons, according to officials. A person, later identified as Carlos Romero, was found hiding inside a truck with seven roosters in it. Authorities detained him and found a large amount of money and a Ruger semiautomatic handgun inside the vehicle. He was arrested on charges of weapons possession and cruelty to animals.

The San Bernardino County Rural Task Force then executed a search warrant on the property and found steel talons and about two dozen firearms. The Yucaipa City Code Enforcement team red-tagged several buildings, including a trailer, on the property. San Bernardino County Animal Control found 17 dead roosters and eight live roosters and tagged 61 roosters in boxes.