South Point Casino Barrel Racing Horses Stabbed by ‘Obsessed Competitor’

• Teen competitor arrested after three horses stabbed at Las Vegas event
• Owners say all injured horses are expected to recover
• Police allege suspect used knife inside South Point barn

A teenage girl faces multiple animal cruelty and felony property charges after three horses were stabbed at the NBHA Supershow barrel racing event at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.

The suspect was described as a competitor in the event by the horses’ owners in social media posts. One owner alleged that the teen had been stalking her online and described her as an “obsessed stalker.”

According to a statement by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, officers were called to the casino at approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday after receiving reports that a horse had been injured in a barn at the casino.

The teen was quickly identified as a possible suspect. Investigators said she had access to the barn and may have used a knife to inflict multiple injuries on the horses, who have been identified by their owners as Rocket, Sully, and Detail. All three horses are expected to recover from their injuries, LVMPD said.

Owner Alleges Suspect Fixation

“A crazy obsessed stalker who has been following me on social media for a long time, obsessing over Detail, obsessing over meeting me, sending me messages which I would never respond to,” Detail’s owner, Arielle Phillips, wrote on her Facebook page.

Phillips said the suspect approached her twice before the attack in Barn A, attempting to make conversation and asking what she described as unusual questions despite being assigned to a different barn. She said she believed the teen was monitoring whether she had left the area.

According to Phillips, surveillance footage shows the suspect entering Detail’s stall at 12:04 a.m., about two minutes after she left at 12:02 a.m. Phillips alleged the attack was premeditated and said Detail was stabbed six times, causing the horse to panic, break loose, and run through the barn while bleeding heavily.

‘I Pray for Every Other Horse Involved’

Keira Weisbart, the owner of Rocket, said her horse had been stabbed three times and had additional “attempted stab wounds” on his body.

We don’t blame South Point, as there was nothing more they could do,” she added. “I pray for every other horse involved. The person who did this disgusting thing is in custody.”

The suspect is facing 12 counts of willfully or maliciously killing, maiming, or torturing a horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000.

Casino.org is not identifying the suspect because police have not publicly released her name.