A bengal tiger that was spotted roaming loose in a Houston neighbourhood is still at large, but the man suspected of owning the tiger has been arrested on an unrelated murder charge.
The tiger, whose name is India, has evaded being captured since last being spotted Sunday.
Apparently there's a tiger loose on my parents' West Houston street? pic.twitter.com/TgdIiPSPKx
— robwormald (@robwormald) May 10, 2021
Multiple police sources identified the man as 28-year-old Victor Cuevas. Cuevas, who is currently out on bond on an unrelated murder charge, is known to possess several exotic animals.
The search for Cuevas began Sunday after he evaded police. But on Monday, he was taken into custody to the Fort Bend County jail.
He was supposed to turn himself in at 8:15 p.m. at the Harris County jail. Instead, Cuevas’ lawyer said Houston police picked him up at his mother’s house in Richmond and took him to the Fort Bend County jail.
Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue and star of the Netflix series, “Tiger King,” is offering a $5,000 reward in connection to the missing tiger.
She posted a video on her verified Instagram account offering the money to whoever has the big cat, provided that person will release the animal to a sanctuary that is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, and will work with the authorities to convict the people involved in the buying and selling of the tiger, Baskin says in the video.
