Overview
- Las Vegas police say three horses were intentionally cut with a sharp object inside a South Point Equestrian Center barn during the National Barrel Horse Association Super Show on Saturday.
- Detectives identified a 16-year-old competitor, located her at a nearby hotel, and booked her into Clark County Juvenile Detention on multiple counts related to animal cruelty and destruction of property.
- The Clark County District Attorney's Office announced it will seek certification to try the teen as an adult and is reviewing potential felony charges that include willful or malicious torture, maiming, or killing of an animal and malicious destruction of property.
- Authorities say the horses’ injuries were not life-threatening but were serious enough to keep them from competing, and owners have arranged veterinary care and community fundraising for recovery costs.
- The investigation by LVMPD’s Animal Cruelty Detail remains active, the teen is due back in juvenile court on Thursday and a separate certification hearing will determine any adult transfer while event organizers and the barrel-racing community cooperate with authorities.