Las Vegas teen bet arresting officers he'd only receive a 'slap on the wrists' for mowing down 64-year-old former police chief in stolen car: Report
The teens accused of fatally mowing down 64-year-old retired police chief Andreas Probst with a stolen car on Aug. 14 appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday. Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16, face a variety of charges including murder and are being tried as adults in the death penalty state.
According to police, Ayala, whose alleged inhumanity was caught on film, appeared wholly unrepentant upon being taken into custody, telling officers, "You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I'll be out in 30 days, I'll bet you," reported KLAS-TV.
Ayala, whose criminal record in the juvenile system is substantial, added, "It's just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist."
These remarks, volunteered before arresting officers had even mentioned the hit-and-run, were reportedly captured on a police body camera.
Ayala and Keys are believed to be the two men who filmed themselves driving a white sedan off the road, then targeting Probst for slaughter.
In the video, one perpetrator asks the other, "Ready?"
The other responds, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Hit his a**," all the while laughing.
Sources familiar with the investigation told KLAS that the stolen car allegedly used by the duo to hit the former police chief of Bell, California, was found less than 10 minutes away from the crash site with blood streaked across its windshield.
After leaving Probst bleeding in their wake, Ayala and Keys are said to have stolen two additional vehicles near Lake Mead Boulevard and Torrey Pines Drive, which they then crashed into one another for kicks near a shopping plaza.
Probst was apparently not the duo's only victim.
Extra to the footage of Probst's slaying, police found another video on Ayala's cell phone of a second bicyclist being struck by a Kia Soul.
KLAS indicated that in the video of the second incident, taken by Ayala, a voice can be heard repeatedly urging the driver to "bump him," referencing a 72-year-old man riding his bicycle on the far side of the street. Both suspects roar with laughter as their car's engine can be heard accelerating.
The elderly victim reportedly survived.
Clark County Detention Records indicate that Ayala, the suspected driver who can be heard in the video gleefully targeting Probst for annihilation, faces the following charges: open murder with the use of a deadly weapon; attempted murder; battery with use of a deadly weapon; failure to stop at the scene of a crash involving a death or injury; reckless driving resulting in substantial bodily harm or death; five counts of possession, receipt or transference of a stolen vehicle; two counts of grand larceny of a motor vehicle; burglary of structure; possession of burglary tools; conspiracy grand larceny of auto; and conspiracy burglary.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal indicated Ayala is facing another case in the juvenile court system for which he can be similarly charged as an adult.
Keys, who appears to have egged on the driver and filmed the mayhem, has been charged with open murder with use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder, and battery with use of a deadly weapon.
If tried and convicted of first-degree murder as adults, the teens could face 50 years in prison, life in Nevada State Prison, or the death penalty. If convicted of second-degree murder, the teens could face 25 years or life in prison.
When pressed by reporters on what the duo's bail would be set at, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said, "The determination of whether somebody should remain in custody is based upon whether they’re a flight risk or a danger to the community. ... I believe they’re potentially both. They have certainly proved that they are dangerous."
Taylor Probst, the victim's daughter, said at a press conference earlier this week, "Andy’s life was robbed by two individuals who did not believe that lives of others matter."
Taylor Probst called on Wolfson's office "to take these crimes to the furthest extent of the law."
Wolfson in response stressed, "Justice will be served in this case."
Ayala's mother thinks her son may be beyond redemption, telling KLAS, "I don't know why he did this. ... I don't know if God can forgive this."
Keys' mother, on the other hand — who was reportedly charged with five counts of child abuse in 2016, pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor child abuse, and was ultimately convicted for misdemeanor disorderly conduct — claimed the media has not told the truth about her son's involvement, suggesting her "son's side of the story will be told."
The duo, who were still in the Clark County Detention Center as of Thursday, are scheduled to reappear in court on Sept. 26.
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Las Vegas teen expected ‘slap on the wrist’ for hitting, killing cyclist: ‘I’ll be out in 30 days, Iyoutu.be