A 17-year-old has been arrested after three horses were intentionally injured during the 2026 National Barrel Horse Association event at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, police said.
Police received a report of an injured horse early Saturday morning. When officers arrived, they discovered that three horses appeared to have been injured with a "sharp object."
The department's Animal Cruelty Section launched an investigation and identified a teenage girl as a suspect.
Police said the teen had access to the barn area and may have used the sharp object to inflict multiple injuries on the horses.
The suspect, who officials said was a competitor at the event, was located at a nearby hotel and taken into custody before being transferred to Clark County Juvenile Hall.
Police booked her on 12 counts of willfully or maliciously killing, maiming or torturing an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000.
Officials said the horses' injuries are not considered life-threatening, but they would not be competing in the immediate future.
This story was originally published by the Scripps News Group station in Las Vegas.
