Suspects arrested in dogfight raid
Officers broke up a national dogfighting match Sunday when an early-morning raid ended in gunfire, multiple arrests and the seizure of 20 dogs from a rural Mississippi property, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
A dogfight was in progress when the officers arrived, drawing fire from several of the 200 people who showed up for the match in Benton County, according to a statement from the Humane Society.
This dogfight drew “high-level guys” from across America as well as an unusually large crowd, said Chris Schindler, the society’s manager of animal fighting investigations. He said no one was hit by the gunfire, and did not know how many were arrested.
“Something like this is going to send shock waves through the entire dog-fighting community,” said Schindler, who was at the scene during the raid Sunday morning.
Schindler did not give a precise location for the dog-fighting incident, but Benton County is about 50 miles southeast of Memphis.
Attempts to reach law enforcement personnel who participated in the raid were unsuccessful.
Schindler wasn’t sure why the fight drew such a big crowd but, he said, sometimes fight attendance has to do with an especially wellknown figure, human or canine, participating in the event.
Of the 20 dogs seized from the premises, two had injuries consistent with having been recently fought, and many of the others showed signs of being fought previously.
“One dog is far worse off than the other dog,” Schindler said. “Unfortunately in dog fighting, these dogs suffer a great deal of trauma, blood loss, shock.”
It’s too soon to tell whether the seriously injured dog will survive, he added.
The investigation was a joint effort of the Humane Society, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
Suspected dogfighters from around the country were tracked on their way to the match, and the authorities are still searching for suspects who fled during the raid. Investigators also confiscated dogfighting paraphernalia and an unspecified amount of cash from the premises.
The dogs will likely be held as evidence until the dogfighters’ trial, but in the meantime they are being cared for by the Humane Society and all the dogs are receiving the necessary veterinary treatment, Schindler said.
The Humane Society offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person involved in illegal animal fighting. Anonymous tips can be reported at 877847-4787.