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Topline
A man who’s out on bond for a murder in Fort Bend County, Texas, grabbed his tiger and sped away from police after the big cat escaped from the man’s Houston home, police said Monday afternoon, in a bizarre twist to a situation that started Sunday night and almost led to the tiger getting shot.
An accused murderer is on the run from police in Texas with a Bengal tiger.
getty
Key Facts
Houston police identified the man as 26-year-old Victor Hugo Cuevas, who is charged with one felony count of evading arrest.
Cuevas posted a $250,000 bond last year after being arrested in connection with a deadly 2017 shooting outside of a sushi restaurant, according to ABC News.
Residents of a west Houston neighborhood were shocked Sunday night when an endangered Bengal tiger apparently cared for by Cuevas began roaming the streets after apparently escaping from a house.
An off-duty police officer could be seen in a widely-shared video approaching the tiger with his gun drawn at about 8 p.m. during a tense exchange where he yelled at the tiger’s owner to “get your tiger back inside.”
The owner then corralled the tiger and took it into the house, according to Houston Police Commander Ron Borza.
But police said that just minutes later, the man and the tiger took off in a white Jeep Cherokee—just as police were arriving on the scene.
A chase ensued but the man was able to elude police, Borza said.
What We Don’t Know
It’s not clear where Cuevas or the tiger are now and it’s not clear why he had a tiger in the first place and how it managed to get onto the streets.
Contra
Cuevas’ attorney, Michael Elliott, told the Houston Chronicle his client is no longer on the run and said, “If they have a warrant for him, then we will of course surrender ourselves.”
Crucial Quote
“My main concern right now is focusing on him and finding the tiger because what I don’t want him to do is to harm the tiger,” Borza said of the tiger’s owner Monday.
Key Background
Tigers are illegal to have in Houston city limits unless the owner is licensed to keep exotic animals. Though Borza released few details, he said Monday the current event might be linked to a 2019 incident where a tiger was found in an abandoned Houston home. In that case, someone called police to report the tiger after entering the house to smoke marijuana. Police were initially skeptical of the claim, but authorities went on to find a year-and-a-half old tiger inside a small, waste and maggot-infested cage with no food or water. It took months until anyone claimed the animal, which had hair loss and a lack of muscular development from being held in the small cage. A woman eventually showed up at a hearing on the tiger’s ownership, and was then arrested on animal cruelty charges. The tiger is now at an animal refuge in north Texas.
Surprising Fact
Cuevas was leasing and apparently kept the tiger inside of a 4,541-square foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom house, according to ABC News.
Further Reading
‘Get your tiger back inside’: Caretaker drives off after deputy’s showdown with big cat in Houston (Houston Chronicle)
Alleged murderer and his tiger wanted in Houston after ditching police in high-speed pursuit (ABC News)
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