MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 60-year-old man is facing multiple charges after Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies broke up an alleged cockfighting ring over the weekend in southwest Miami-Dade, authorities confirmed Monday.
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Deputies said Angel Garcia was among four men arrested Saturday after they responded to reports of gunfire near Southwest 125th Street and 194th Avenue around 7 p.m.
When deputies arrived, they saw multiple vehicles speeding away and people running in all directions — some holding “game fowl roosters,” according to an arrest report obtained by Local 10 News on Monday.
Deputies said they used a marked patrol vehicle to block the only entrance and exit to the property and ordered everyone on site to remain in place.
Aviation units and other deputies quickly established a perimeter as several individuals tried to flee on foot, jumping fences into neighboring areas, the report stated.
Deputies detained all subjects at the scene and conducted a safety sweep due to the nature of the initial call.
Inside the property, authorities said they discovered a makeshift training ring and chairs set up for spectators and numerous caged roosters — some with shaved feathers — nearby. The sounds of crowing from fenced-in roosters filled the area, according to the report.
Deputies said Garcia was located on the premises after allegedly trying to evade them. They said he did not make a statement after being taken into custody.
The other three men were identified in an arrest report as Rodolfo Soto Longo and Amaury Martinez, both 45, and Junior Lara, 49.
Jail records show Garcia is facing one count each of illegal possession of animals for fighting, breeding, baiting, training, selling or owning, animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, and attending an illegal animal fight.
As of Monday afternoon, Garcia was being held on a $12,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Soto Longo, Martinez and Lara were not listed as inmates on the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation website.
