AMERICAN CANYON — Dozens of people, including an undetermined number of Filipino Americans, are facing charges after a raid of a cockfighting operation here.
Napa sheriff’s spokesperson Captain Tracey Stuart said that acting on an informant's tip, sheriff's deputies, and local police and Highway Patrol officers descended on a cockfight taking place in a caged arena.
Stuart said 32 persons cited for the misdemeanor offense could be fined, jailed, or put on probation.
She said one other person was arrested and taken to jail, and another faces charges to be decided by the Napa County District Attorney's Office.
"When the police officers arrived they found approximately 60 people inside a makeshift caged arena watching a cockfight in progress, some men fled on foot, but our officers managed to apprehend them," Stuart said.
Stuart said some of those apprehended came from as far as Pittsburg and San Jose, California.
"We cited and released 32 spectators of the cockfight, including Alfredo Morales Bis, 59, of the City of Hercules, who is the alleged property owner where the cockfight took place," Stuart added.
Officers who took part in the raid said they recovered at least two dead roosters and 50 live birds.
Residents of La Vigne and Vintage Ranch housing subdivisions along American Canyon Road intersecting Flosden Road and Newell Drive near the newly-built American Canyon High School said they were startled Saturday afternoon past 4 p.m. when CHP officers closed down the main road for a couple of hours to prevent the cock fighters from escaping.
From the 1400 American Canyon area, a passerby can see numerous pens where roosters are enclosed.
According to Stuart, those cited for misdemeanor offense face a maximum fine of $5,000 or up to a year in jail.
Cockfighting is a popular sport in the Philippines, but the blood sport, which pits two roosters armed with sharp metal spurs in a fight to death, is outlawed in the United States.
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