Last modified on Wed 12 May 2021 04.33 EDT
A tiger was briefly on the loose in a Houston suburb on Sunday, terrifying residents before its owner grabbed it and fled in a car.
A 54-second video posted on social media showed the Bengal tiger roaming freely in front of houses in the Energy Corridor, 18 miles west of downtown Houston.
“Our Animal Cruelty Unit, along with [Barc, an animal shelter] are currently investigating the incident in which a tiger was seen at 1103 Ivy Wall Drive about 8pm on Sunday, Houston police said on Twitter.
“The male owner was seen escorting the tiger to the residence then putting it into his vehicle.”
Houston tiger: Murder suspect Victor Hugo Cuevas arrested after tiger roamed streets washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A man free on bail on a murder charge has been returned to custody after neighbours found a pet tiger wandering around a neighbourhood in Texas.
Houston police tweeted on Monday night that Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, was back in custody charged with felony evading arrest.
Police said they believed the tiger had belonged to Cuevas, but his lawyer questioned the accuracy of that belief.
Video of the Sunday night encounter shows the tiger coming face-to-face with an armed off-duty Waller County sheriff’s deputy, police said.
Waller County Sheriff’s Office deputy Wes Manion talks about his encounter with the tiger (Godofredo A Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Print article As the sun dimmed over Houston on Sunday, a Bengal tiger with a collar around its neck jumped over a backyard fence and began to roam leisurely through the grassy front lawns along the block, alarming neighbors. “I mean, I couldn’t believe it,” neighbor Jose Ramos told KPRC. Bystanders took pictures and videos of the tiger while an off-duty sheriff’s deputy arrived on the scene with a gun and tried to corral the animal. The tiger appeared to live in a West Houston home rented by Victor Hugo Cuevas. But by the time the authorities arrived to question him about the tiger, Cuevas had loaded the animal into a car and driven away, according to police.
Victor Hugo Cuevas’ lawyer denies that his client owns the tiger or fled from police.
ByKavish Harjai
Published on 5/11/2021 at 2:37 PM An off-duty sheriff’s deputy confronts the tiger that was seen roaming a West Houston community on May 9, 2021. | Twitter / @robwormald An off-duty sheriff’s deputy confronts the tiger that was seen roaming a West Houston community on May 9, 2021. | Twitter / @robwormald
Police arrested a 26-year-old man on Monday who they say owns a Bengal tiger that was recently seen roaming a Houston, Texas, community. But the tiger’s whereabouts “are not yet known,” police said.
Houston police charged Victor Hugo Cuevas with evading arrest and detention with a vehicle, according to Fort Bend County Jail records. Police said Cuevas loaded the tiger into a white SUV and drove off when officers arrived to question him about the big cat.