A tip about an active cockfighting operation led Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies to a remote Rainbow Valley property Saturday, where they found over 150 roosters, two fighting rings, a betting board and an assortment of weapons and cash.
The property, located near 170th Avenue and Hunt Highway in the sparsely populated community south of Goodyear, erupted into chaos when deputies arrived. Attendees fled in multiple directions — on foot and in vehicles — with some driving through fences in an attempt to escape. Eight individuals were detained and later booked into jail on charges of being present at a cockfight.
A search warrant executed by the MCSO Animal Crimes Unit turned up 157 live roosters, an unspecified number of dead roosters, two cockfighting rings, a dry-erase board used to track wagers, gaffs — the knife-like blades fastened to roosters’ legs during fights — and other related paraphernalia. Deputies also found four handguns, an AR-15 rifle and $18,000 in cash on the property.
The investigation remains active. It marks the second cockfighting bust in Maricopa County this year, following a similar operation that deputies shut down near Tonopah in January.
