7 Taken Into Custody in Suspected Dogfight

A suspected organized dogfight in an Oxnard schoolyard led to the arrest of seven people over the weekend, authorities said.

Two men were in Ventura County Jail on Sunday on one felony count each of dog fighting, according to a jail spokeswoman. Bail for each was set at $5,000. Three other men were booked into jail on one count each of being a spectator at a dogfight. Their bail was set at $500 each.

Two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, both from Oxnard, also were taken into custody.

“This is not something you hear a lot about in Oxnard,” Sgt. George Pultz said.

At 6:55 p.m., Oxnard police received a call about a dogfight taking place at Rose Avenue School Elementary, 220 Driskill Ave., said Officer Victor Boswell. They arrived to find seven males and two pit bulls at the school behind gates, he said.

Blood stained the ground in a 15-foot diameter area, and there were indications “that the suspects had allowed the dogs to fight for a while,” Boswell said.

The suspects were taken into custody, and the dogs, their heads and front paws badly injured, were taken to a shelter by animal control officers. The dogs are expected to survive, Boswell said.

The dogs’ owners, Rafael Alvarez, 21, and Maruro Galvan, 22, both of Oxnard, were arrested on suspicion of felony dog fighting, authorities said. Oxnard residents Jose Galvan, 27; Orlando Alvarez, 19, and Saul Quintero, 18, were arrested on suspicion of being spectators.