A Texas man whose Bengal tiger was filmed roaming a Houston suburb has been arrested – but his stripy sidekick is still on the lam.
Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, was taken into custody Monday night after allegedly leading cops on a chase the day before after they tried to quiz him about his exotic pet, Houston police said.
Worryingly, the whereabouts of the big cat that caused the kerfuffle are still a mystery, the department said in a tweet.
Cuevas was allegedly filmed Sunday in the Energy Corridor, 18 miles west of downtown Houston, arguing with an armed neighbor who was furious about the animal being on the loose.
In the viral clip, the resident points a gun at the prowling carnivore and yells at its caretaker: “Get the f**k back inside. F**k you and your fucking tiger.”
Tigers are only permitted as pets within Houston city limits if the owner is licensed to keep exotic animals.
Cuevas, who also reportedly has a capuchin monkey, was then seen escorting the tiger to his residence before putting it into his vehicle, police said.
As officers arrived at the scene, Cuevas fled with his bosom beast in a white Jeep Cherokee and initially managed to evade pursuing cops.
After being apprehended the following evening, he faces charges of felony evading arrest.
(Houston Police)
Cuevas’s latest wild brush with the law is by no means his most serious.
He has been out on $250,000 bond since November on a murder charge over the fatal shooting of a man outside a sushi restaurant in Richmond, Fort Bend County.
In that case, bystanders said they saw two men on motorcycles approach the victim, Osiekhuemen Omobhude, in July 2017 as he was getting into his vehicle in the restaurant’s parking lot, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots before seeing the two assailants cover their faces and drive off. Omobhude later died from his injuries.
Cuevas has repeatedly maintained his innocence, claiming he shot the victim in self-defense after Omobhude pointed a gun at him, the newspaper reported.
Texas is estimated to have the largest tiger population outside India, with anywhere between 2,000 to 5,000 of the big cats living in the state, many of which are unregistered.