Puppy left in car with mouth taped shut while man gambled, Las Vegas police say

UPDATE: Las Vegas police have released footage that shows officers rescuing a 3-month-old puppy that was left in a vehicle with its mouth taped shut for nearly two hours while its owner gambled at a Strip casino.

Through their investigation, Las Vegas police say they discovered the dog had been in the car for nearly two hours without air conditioning, food or water while the vehicle’s owner went inside to gamble.

Original story continues below.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A man reportedly taped his puppy’s mouth shut and left it in a vehicle while he gambled, according to an arrest report from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

Raul Carbajal from Corona del Mar, Calif. was arrested July 20 and charged with torture of an animal after police discovered the puppy in the vehicle at a Las Vegas Strip parking garage. LVMPD said the 3 month-old husky puppy was located in a locked vehicle on the top floor of the parking garage with mouth taped shut with electrical tape. Security climbed through the vehicle sunroof to rescue the puppy, the arrest report said.

The vehicle was captured on Bellagio Hotel security cameras parking around 1:13 p.m. Carbajal reportedly gambled from about 2:12 p.m.-3:11 p.m. before returning to his vehicle around 3:19 p.m., an arrest report said.

The vehicle was about 107.8 degrees at time of rescue, according to Animal Control. The vehicle was in direct sunlight with the sunroof open with no water or food for animal and no air conditioning, the report said.

When Carbajal came back to the vehicle, he didn’t say anything to police and didn’t ask if the puppy was okay, according to an arrest report.

Bail was set at $5,000, according to court records. Carbajal’s next hearing was set for July 26.

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