Two teens were arrested for dog fighting and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after they allegedly enticed a pit bull to fight another, deputies said.
Around 1 p.m. Saturday, Dona Ana County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 5900 block of Las Alturas Drive after receiving a call about two pit bulls fighting in a yard.
Christian Cipriano and Fabien Rivera, both 18, were arrested after deputies learned that they took their friend's brown pit bull, named Haze, to fight a neighborhood pit bull.
A white and tan pit bull was tied up in a yard when the teens allegedly set Haze free to crawl under a fence to fight the dog.
Neighbors told deputies that the teens were seen with another juvenile male, and all three of them were enticing Haze to fight the dog.
The white and tan pit bull suffered more than 25 wounds in the attack. The Sheriff's Office staff veterinarian is currently treating it, and the dog will be released back to his owner.
Deputies said Haze belongs to Joel Ramirez, who is friends with Cipriano and Rivera. Ramirez was reportedly at work during the incident, but told deputies that he was not upset about the incident.
Haze is currently in the custody of the Sheriff's Office.
Cipriano and Rivera were booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bail set at $5,000 each.
According to deputies, this case is still an open investigation and additional charges are pending.
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