Results tagged “cockfighting”

Police broke up a gathering in a home on Wallace Avenue in the Bronx Friday night and arrested seven people when they discovered an illegal cockfight going on. 43 roosters had to be taken out of the home and will be inspected by veterinarians. After that, the birds will likely be euthanized. The group of seven were arrested for spectating the event in a bust that police say was led by federal authorities. There was no word on whether there was visible gambling going on when the raid took place. Over the summer, police broke up a cockfighting ring in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn where over fifty birds were found and had to be euthanized.

The NYPD raided a cockfighting facility in Cypress Hills yesterday, finding 59 caged birds, steroids, and thousands in cash. The Brooklyn DA's office explained, "There is no ring here, but they were breeding and housing them for the fights." The Daily News reports the birds were found with sharpened claws, "juiced on steroids," and their combs cut or shaved. The suspect claims, "I shave them because the weather is hot." Some neighbors told NY1 said they knew chicks were being raised, but didn't realize why, "When the little chicks hatch, sometimes they ran outside in the front," but others told the News they wouldn't miss the birds' screaming. Animal Control had to euthanize all the birds, except for a hen and four chicks.

Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez, as well as the Mets organization, made statements about the video of Martinez appearing at a cockfighting event in the Dominican Republic.

From Pedro Martinez: "I understand that people are upset, but this is part of our Dominican culture and is legal in the Dominican Republic. I was invited by my idol Juan Marichal to attend the event as a spectator, not as a participant."

Continue reading "Pedro, Mets Speak Out on Cockfighting Video"

A video showing Mets star pitcher Pedro Martinez at a cockfight in the Dominican Republican briefly surfaced online, outraging some people. Cockfighting is a popular - and legal - sport in the Dominican Republic, but it's illegal in almost all of the United States.