Calif. Man Fatally Stabbed During Cockfighting Match… by a Rooster

February 7, 2011 at 7:31pm
by Meredith Jessup
Comments 74

Everyone knows that cockfighting can be deadly for birds caught up in the illegal practice. But, as evidenced by the bizarre recent death of one California man, the brutal exercise is startlingly dangerous for spectators as well.

Jose Luis Ochoa, 35, died Sunday after being stabbed in the leg by a sharp blade that had been attached to a fighting bird, police say.

Ochoa, who has been fined for participating in the illegal practice in the past, was rushed to Delano Regional Medical Center shortly after Tulare County police arrived to bust up the cockfight. Ochoa and others fled when sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene. Though it’s unclear exactly how Ochoa sustained his injuries, police speculate that one of the birds’ razor-like blades punctured Ochoa’s right calf, likely severing a major artery.

“I have never seen this type of incident,â€