This is one of dozens of caged birds police found at a Northside rooster fighting ring. | Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Published on January 28, 2026 at 12:36 pm
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Eleven men were arrested after a police raid uncovered a rooster fighting ring at a home on Jacksonville’s Northside, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says.
The men were charged with animal fighting, resisting arrest and other counts after the raid Saturday.
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The city’s Animal Control and Protective Services had to destroy 130 live roosters due to their aggressive training and the risk of disease.
The decision was not made lightly, police said.
“This is animal cruelty. These guys have turned peaceful animals into foot-tall killing machines for sport, and that’s unacceptable,” Vice Sgt. Guy Daniels said in a news release. “These birds are plucked from the waist down; metal spurs are glued to their claws; and they’re thrown into a ring for a vicious fight to the death.”
Officers went to the home on Jake Road after a neighbor complained about the rooster fights. Police found a large group of people watching birds in a pen in a backyard, holding money as a referee monitored the fight, police say.
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When the people saw the officers, they started to run. Bodycam video posted on the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page shows officers, some with tasers, chasing down some men.
Seven men were caught initially. A secondary search uncovered four more men hiding in a shed.
Rooster fighting equipment
Police video shows a suitcase with the label of a Miami-based supplier of bird antibiotics, vitamins and other items. Dozens of cages are stacked two high, most with roosters inside, some appearing lethargic or dead.
The 11 men arrested are 34 to 60 years old. Most have been released on bail. Four remain in custody after being found to be in the country illegally, police said.
Investigators seized $13,600 in cash, plus dozens of metal fighting spurs, cages and a number of dead roosters.
“When the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dismantled a brutal cockfighting operation, they sent a clear message that cruelty will not be tolerated in Jacksonville,” Animal Control Chief Michael Bricker said in a news release. “I’m grateful for their partnership and their commitment to stopping inhumane treatment of animals.”
