A teenage girl was arrested Saturday after Las Vegas police received a report three horses were “intentionally injured with a sharp object” at the site of a barrel racing competition.
Police received a report just after 2 a.m. of an injured horse at a barn at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.
“Patrol officers arrived and learned that three horses had been intentionally injured with a sharp object,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release.
“Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified a teenage girl as a possible suspect. The teen had access to the barn, and investigators believe she may have used a knife to inflict multiple injuries to the horses,” the statement continued.
Police said the injuries to the horses were not life-threatening but serious enough to most likely prevent them from competing.
A statement from the National Barrel Horse Association seen by USA Today confirmed 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 the suspect “has been removed and placed in the care of authorities, and there is no ongoing threat of any kind.”
Police found the suspect at a nearby hotel and transported her to Clark County Juvenile Hall.
The teen girl, who has not been identified, has been booked for 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing an animal, and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000.