Raul Carbajal Corona Del Mar California man arrested leaving husky puppy with mouth taped shut in hot car while gambling at Las Vegas casino.
Probably not the dog owner of the year… A California man has been accused of leaving his puppy in a hot car outside a Las Vegas casino with its mouth taped shut while the man continued to gamble.
Raul Carbajal, 50, of Corona Del Mar, was arrested on July 20 after security staffers spotted the 3-month-old husky trapped inside a locked car on the top floor of the parking garage of the Bellagio hotel as temps peaked that day at 113 degrees, Las Vegas police said Thursday.
Cops released video showing cops arresting Carbajal as he returned to his Mercedes, where the dog had been locked for nearly two hours in the hot afternoon sun. The temperature inside the vehicle reached 108 degrees, police said.
‘You realize how hot it is outside?’ an arresting officer asked Carbajal, according to the video. ‘You had the vehicle off, windows up and you had tape around your dog’s mouth.’
The puppy remains in custody of animal control officials and is still receiving medical treatment nearly 10 days later, police said.
WHAT NOT TO DO IN VEGAS:
On July 20, we got a call from security from a hotel & casino at 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. (The high temperature that day was 113)
Security spotted a puppy inside a locked vehicle on the top floor of the parking garage with its mouth taped shut around 3 pm pic.twitter.com/kmZJ9CcQyU— LVMPD (@LVMPD) July 28, 2022
When the thrill of gambling is worth more than the wellbeing of your pet dog
Security at the casino managed to get the dog out of the Mercedes via its sunroof.
‘Through our investigation, we discovered the dog had been in the car for nearly two hours without air conditioning, food or water while the vehicle owner went inside to gamble,’ Las Vegas police said in a statement.
Las Vegas police reiterated residents not to leave people or animals in hot cars under any circumstances.
Carbajal following his arrest was charged with willful, malicious torture of an animal.
The puppy’s mouth had been secured shut with medical tape, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
The top level of the parking garage had ‘no protection from the sun and is in direct sunlight,’ the report noted.
Carbajal, who was released after posting bond, is due back in court next week, KLAS reported.
‘The safety and wellness of our employees and guests is always a top priority – pets included,’ a spokesperson for MGM Resorts, which owns the Bellagio, told KLAS. ‘We commend our guest for taking action and notifying the Bellagio security team, who was quick to respond and make the rescue.’
