Philadelphia police executing warrant find 43 birds, suspected cockfighting operation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police serving a warrant at a home in Kensington stumbled upon 43 roosters, authorities said.

It was around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when police knocked on the door of the house in the 3100 block of Weymouth Street.

A source said they were issuing a warrant related to a homicide investigation.

Police ended up making an arrest; however, they found much more than they thought they would.

In the abandoned home, officers discovered cages of roosters upstairs.

Agents think the roosters were used for cockfighting.

A front bedroom upstairs is believed to have been the place where the roosters fought. A back bedroom on the second floor is said to be the place where birds were housed and bred.

"We cannot stand for animal fighting to take place in our city," said Nicole Wilson, Director of Humane Law Enforcement at the Pennsylvania SPCA. "Animal fighting is a brutal crime, one in which the victims so often suffer fatal injuries."

In the occupied house next door, police found more roosters in the basement.

Police also served a warrant at another house on the block.

A source said police arrested a man connected to the warrant. A woman who bit a police officer trying to arrest the man was also arrested.

Investigators are currently working to determine who's responsible for the suspected cockfighting operation.