HOUSTON – Investigators busted a cockfighting ring and arrested nearly a dozen people on Houston's South Side Saturday morning.
According to the Houston Police Department, they received a call complaining of loud noises coming from a house at Mary Kay Lane and Schurmier Street around midnight.
When an officer first arrived, he heard what sounded like a loud crowd cheering on some sort of cockfighting event.
He called for backup and several units arrived soon after.
As men started coming out of the home, officers began taking them into custody.
The suspects didn't know the police were outside at first, but as soon as they found out, dozens of them took off running through the fields.
One man managed to get to his car and speed off.
A HPD unit chased him all the way to Mykawa Street, then north to Orem Street, where the driver finally was stopped and was arrested.
He now faces felony evading charges and other charges related to the cockfighting.
A total of 11 men were arrested.
The men all face various charges, along with the cockfighting involvement charge.
There were about 50 or more individuals at the home, police said.
HPD said officers found three dead birds and a dozen or so others in cages.