Las Vegas police said they arrested a teenage girl Saturday, May 30, after receiving a report that three horses were stabbed at the site of a barrel racing competition this weekend.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Saturday that police received a report just after 2 a.m. on May 30 of an injured horse at a barn at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.
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“Patrol officers arrived and learned that three horses had been intentionally injured with a sharp object,” a Las Vegas Police Department news release said.
Police said the injuries to the horses were not life-threatening but serious enough to most likely prevent the horses from competing.
A statement from the National Barrel Horse Association said a number of horses were mistreated by a competitor at the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show, which is running through Sunday, May 31.
The association said in a news release that the suspect “has been removed and placed in the care of authorities, and there is no ongoing threat of any kind.”
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Police said the teen “had access to the barn, and investigators believe she may have used a knife to inflict multiple injuries to the horses.”
According to the Review-Journal, police said detectives found the girl at a nearby hotel. She was booked on 12 separate animal cruelty counts and three felony counts of malicious destruction of private property.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teen girl arrested after horses stabbed at Vegas barrel racing event
