One man is arrested for cockfighting -- and six others are facing hefty fines for allegedly watching the crime unfold.

Traffic rolling through East 24th and Preston isn't the only sound you'll hear on this busy residential street -- Especially if you live next door to 54-year old Antonio Hernandez-Gonzales; over the weekend he was arrested for cockfighting.

“People are actually programming these animals to hurt each other,” said Bryan Police Officer Jon Agnew. “It’s just not humane.”

It is a crime that Agnew says has gained popularity and momentum in our area over the years.

“Why do the people do it? I mean is it personal preference, cultural reason, monetary value?” questioned Agnew. “It doesn't matter why they're doing it; all we know is that it's illegal.”

Cockfighting is a widespread crime in Texas and its sole purpose is gambling and entertainment purposes where roosters are always the victim,” said Nicole Paquette, Texas State Director for The Humane Society of the United States.

Acting on an anonymous tip Saturday afternoon, animal control officers along with Bryan police showed up at Gonzalez' home where they found a disturbing scene in his backyard.

“People were in a group, in a ring, like they were watching an event, like boxing, but on a smaller scale and they were setting the roosters down into the center area to watch them fight,” Agnew explained. “We’ve never heard any complaints on this house, except for the anonymous phone call on Saturday.”

That anonymous phone call has led to the rescue and removal of more than 30 roosters. One by one, Bryan Animal Control officers spent most of Monday afternoon rounding up the roosters for further investigation.

Dozens of YouTube videos depict the gruesome crime where two roosters fight each other to the death while people place bets. During these fights, the roosters often wear razor-sharp blades or spurs on their legs; as a result, they receive injuries like punctured lungs, broken bones and pierced eyes -- or death.

“Most people would say they are against animal cruelty, yet we are seeing this widespread on a variety of issues across Texas and nationwide,” said Paquette. “Whether it is cockfighting or dogfighting, we are finding more and more of it, especially in Texas.”

It is a heinous crime that isn't being tolerated in Texas – nor is it being tolerated in the backyards in the Brazos Valley.

“It’s a cruel and barbaric activity and thankfully Texas has made this cruel sport a felony and have made the surrounding offenses a crime as well," said Paquette.

“If we wouldn’t have had that anonymous phone call, we would have never known about the crime,” said Agnew. “This is why it’s so important to report these things so we can address the problem and take further action to prevent these inhumane crimes from occurring.”

In September of 2011, Texas legislators adopted House Bill 1043: which makes the following activities a crime:
-Participating in the earnings of a cockfight (a state jail felony)
-Using or permitting another to use property for cockfighting (a class A misdemeanor)
-Manufacturing, buying, selling, possessing cockfighting equipment (a class A misdemeanor)
-Owning, possessing or training a cock with the intent that it be used for cockfighting (class A misdemeanor)
-Watching or attending a cockfight ( a class C misdemeanor)
 
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A concerned citizen’s phone call leads to the arrest of several people in Bryan for cockfighting.

On Saturday just before 1:30 p.m. Bryan police were dispatched to the home of 54-year-old Antonio Hernandez-Gonzalez in reference to an animal cruelty call.

According to reports, the caller observed several people walking onto the property with cocks and taking them to the backyard. Upon arrival, Animal Control Officers, including Bryan PD, witnessed several people standing in a circle in the backyard with two cocks in the center. Animal Control officers say it appeared the two were preparing to fight. When asked, Hernandez-Gonzalez denied the cocks were being used in cockfighting; rather, he claimed that they were pets. Police say several cocks were inside metal cages in the backyard as well. One of the officers observed one that appeared to be injured; the left spur was numb, a welt on the right upper breast that was being treated with a purple cream, missing feathers on the neck region, and the cock was favoring its right foot.

The Animal Control Officer said a numb spur indicates a "gaff' is being attached to the spur during cockfighting.

Hernandez-Gonzalez was arrested for Cockfighting and booked into the Brazos County Jail on $4,000 bond. Six spectators were contacted, and cited as spectators of cockfighting for violations of Bryan municipal animal codes.