Las Vegas horse stabbing incident prompts arrest of teenage girl during major rodeo event
Police say the animals were intentionally injured at a barn during the NBHA Professionals’ Choice Show
A teenage girl has been arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly stabbing three horses during a major barrel racing competition, prompting a criminal investigation and shock among event participants.
The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday, May 30, at a barn located in the 9700 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Officers were called to the scene just after 2 a.m.
after reports of an injured horse, but later discovered that three horses had been “intentionally injured with a sharp object,” police said.
Investigators from the department’s Animal Cruelty Section later identified a teenage girl as a suspect.
Authorities believe she had access to the barn and may have used a knife during the alleged attack.
The suspect was located at a nearby hotel and taken into custody before being booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall.
She faces 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing an animal, along with three felony counts of malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000.
While officials confirmed the horses’ injuries are not life-threatening, they will be unable to compete in the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa.
In a statement, the National Barrel Horse Association said the situation was “addressed immediately” in coordination with event staff, hotel security, and law enforcement, adding that the individual involved had been removed and there was “no ongoing threat.”
Cali Raymer, a 17-year-old competitor at the event, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal she had spoken with the suspect previously and described the situation as alarming. “It’s kind of scary that something like that would happen here,” she said.
The South Point Hotel Casino & Spa also confirmed it is cooperating fully with investigators, stating that the safety of guests, participants, and animals remains its highest priority as the investigation continues.