Police: 47 arrested at Calif. cockfight BALDY MESA, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Police in southeastern California arrested 47 people, six of them on animal-cruelty charges, after breaking up a cockfight in a barn, authorities said. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office officials said they were tipped off about the Sunday morning cockfight in Baldy Mesa and found about 300 people attending the event in a barn, The Victorville Daily Press reported. Most of the spectators fled when deputies arrived. "This appeared to have been an established location with an arena and benches set up for spectators," said Jodi Miller, a sheriff's spokeswoman. The 47 people arrested came from locations throughout southern California and most were booked for being spectators. The owner of the property, Fernando Hernandez, 62, fled and police said in a release he had not been caught. Deputies seized 92 birds and about $21,000 cash. Cockfighting is "an extremely cruel sport for these animals," Miller said, pointing out the birds used are bred and raised to attack and kill so they're not fit for adoption or rehabilitation. Miller said authorities found 15 to 20 dead birds Sunday, which she said suggested there had been more than a dozen bouts before deputies arrived at 11:30 a.m.