Teen arrested after stabbing three horses at Las Vegas racing event
A teen girl was arrested after three horses were stabbed at a South Point barrel-racing event, forcing the animals out of competition and exposing a security breach.
Three horses were intentionally injured with a sharp object inside a barn at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa equestrian center in Las Vegas, turning a major barrel-racing competition into a security and animal-welfare crisis. Police said the attack happened at about 2:07 a.m. on May 30, 2026, during the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show, a National Barrel Horse Association event held May 29-31.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigators said the horses were stabbed multiple times and believe the teen suspect may have used a knife after gaining access to the barn area. The case has raised immediate questions about how someone was able to reach the stalls during a live event that drew competitors, families and spectators to the 9700 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.
The teen girl was found at a nearby hotel, taken into custody without incident and booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall. She faces 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing of an animal, horse, along with three felony counts of malicious destruction of private property over $5,000. Police said none of the horses suffered life-threatening injuries, but the wounds were expected to keep them from competing.
The NBHA said the incident involved a limited number of equine competitors and that the individual was removed and placed in the care of authorities. South Point said all of the horses involved were safe and that it was cooperating fully with police. The event’s scale underscored the disruption: the Super Show carried $16,500 in added money and 111 wild card entries, making it one of the marquee stops on the barrel-racing calendar.
Competitors reacted with shock as word spread through the grounds and onto social media. One 17-year-old rider told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “It’s kind of scary that something like that would happen here.” Horse owners also posted that their animals were recovering but could not continue competing, a blow to riders who had traveled to Las Vegas for a high-stakes weekend.
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