Las Vegas teens accused of running over retired police chief in stolen car continue laughing in courtroom, taunt victim's grieving family



Jzamir Keys, 16, and Jesus Ayala, 18, are accused of fatally mowing down 64-year-old retired police chief Andreas Probst with a stolen car on Aug. 14 — a horrific slaying caught on film, along with the duo's maniacal laughter. In court Tuesday, the alleged murderers kept on laughing.

The victim's daughter, Taylor Probst, was present at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas for the hearing. She indicated that Keys and Ayala "did not respect the court whatsoever. ... They were just d**king around the entire time," reported KSNV-TV.

The duo apparently also taunted the victim's grieving family.

"They (the defendants) were flipping us off," continued Taylor Probst. "They were snickering, laughing, trying to mad-dog us and intimidate us, which didn't work."

Taylor Probst said, "It just makes him look bad," referencing Ayala's rude gestures to the family. "How can you sit there after taking a man's life and act like such an entitled p***k?"

Crystal Probst, the victim's widow, said she didn't let the teens bother her despite their apparent efforts to intimidate the family, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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District Judge Jacqueline Bluth informed the teens Tuesday that their trial was set for Sept. 16, 2024. They will both be tried as adults.

Ayala and Keys were indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on the following charges, enhanced because Probst was a senior citizen: murder with use of a deadly weapon; attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon; battery with use of a deadly weapon reslting in substantial bodily harm; and two counts of duty to stop at the scene of a crash involving death.

They also face unenhanced felony charges of residential burglary, use of a deadly weapon, three counts of grance larceny auto, and three counts of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Both pleaded not guilty on Oct. 11.

Although Nevada has the death penalty, the teens are not eligible on account of their age. They instead face a maximum of life in state prison.

David Westrook, Ayala's attorney, said he intends to seek the release of his client from jail pending trial, reported the Las Vegas Sun.

Ayala and Keys appear to have filmed parts of their rampage, including when they allegedly drove a white sedan off the road, then targeted Probst, the former police chief of Bell, California, for slaughter.

In the gruesome video, one perpetrator asks the other, "Ready?"

The other responds, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Hit his a**," all the while laughing.

The stolen 2016 Hyundai Elantra allegedly used by the duo to hit Probst was reportedly found less than 10 minutes away from where the victim's body was found with blood splashed across its windshield.

Probst was not the duo's only alleged victim.

Police found another video on Ayala's cell phone of a second bicyclist being struck by a Kia Soul.

KLAS-TV 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 cackle as their car's engine can be heard accelerating.

The elderly victim suffered a knee injury but ultimately survived.

Ayala can be heard in bodycam footage later telling his arresting officer, "You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I'll be out in 30 days, I'll bet you."

Ayala, whose criminal record in the juvenile system is substantial, added, "It's just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist."

His mother told KLAS her son might be beyond saving, saying, "I don't know why he did this. ... I don't know if God can forgive this."

Taylor and Crystal Probst indicated they will continue to attend the teens' court appearances, seeking justice and carrying on the victim's memory.

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Levin: Middle East mayhem



Once again, Middle East tensions have reached a boiling point. In the wake of Israeli Defense Forces destroying a terrorist ring in a Palestinian housing complex, a lone-wolf Palestinian extracted his own revenge, opening fire on innocent Jewish civilians leaving a Jerusalem synagogue.

In the trail of carnage: seven murdered and three more wounded. Now, as the world looks on, Netanyahu's new conservative government is planning its response. Mark walks you through the latest movements in this Middle East mayhem.



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Three vehicles, two counties, one blistering-hot pursuit: Chase caught on camera ends as deputies open fire on berserker



A suspect led police on a dangerous high-speed chase through two Southern California counties on Wednesday night, stealing multiple cars, ramming deputies, breaking into a house, and putting countless lives at risk. The suspect, who has been identified as 32-year-old Johnny Anchondo, made abundantly clear with his crime spree that he'd rather risk death than jail time. Over an hour later, deputies appeared ready to oblige him.

Act I

It all began at 4:45 p.m. in the northern Orange County city of Fullerton when police observed the Hispanic driver of a black Honda Civic committing traffic violations near Auto Center Drive and I-5. The L.A. Times reported that the driver sped off, inaugurating a police chase that would last for well over an hour.

CBS News reported that the suspect had stopped near Buena Park to try to steal a truck. Having proven unable, he got back into the Civic.

According to Capt. Jon Radus, spokesman for the Fullerton Police Department, the driver of the Civic led police into Anaheim, getting on and off state route 91 in a successful attempt to lose the squad cars on his tail.

Although officers briefly lost sight of the Honda, KTTV reported that they quickly managed to track the suspect down to an apartment complex parking lot in northern Anaheim.

Act II

The suspect traded in the Civic and stole a white van belonging to Josh Reynolds.

The trade-in appeared short-lived, as police quickly cornered the suspect in the parking lot and readied their weapons.

Despite the commands issued by police, the driver of the stolen van refused to surrender. Instead, he rammed the single police cruiser that had hemmed him in, performed a four-point turn, and pulled out of the parking lot.

Reynolds said, "My refrigerated van was so heavy that he was able to push the police car out of his way by backing up and ramming it and squeezed out."

Just as the suspect got out of the parking lot, additional police units began to arrive. The driver nearly smashed into one cruiser head-on, threading by and speeding down a residential street.

\u201cWild car chase in Los Angeles County today...\n\nhttps://t.co/LInMuZvOyY\u201d
— Citizen Free Press (@Citizen Free Press) 1668047251

The suspect made his way to the city of Whittier in Los Angeles County.

Near Marquardt Ave and Imperial Highway, one of the stolen van's tires gave out. The van began to spew sparks as it rolled along on an exposed rim.

The suspect continued driving recklessly, trailing sparks right through a gas station.

On the other side of the station, another police unit managed to trap the suspect, pinning the wrecked van at Carmenita Rd. and Placid Drive. The suspect floored the gas, but rather than momentum, all he got was smoke and more sparks.

Once again police officers drew down on the suspect, and once again he evaded them, this time ditching the smoldering van and fleeing on foot.

Here is more footage of the van portion of the chase:

Police Chase: Suspect not giving up after tense pursuit in OC youtu.be

Act III

In a desperate attempt to evade the police now encircling the area, the suspect broke into a nearby house.

One of the residents, Andres Benitez, told KTTV that when the suspect stole into his house, Benitez confronted the man with a knife.

Benitez, who was disappointed the family's pit bull didn't make mincemeat of the intruder, escorted the suspect out of the home.

Benitez told reporters, "I told him I'm going to have to stab you right now, bro. ... But my mom just kept screaming and screaming. He saw that my mom was holding me back and he just got out of the house."

The suspect did, however, manage to steal the key to Benitez's pickup truck — a new acquisition he and his brother had made for their landscaping company.

The family can be seen on video frantically trying to stop the suspect as he steals Benitez's truck, nearly running over dogs on his way out of the driveway:

\u201cWATCH LIVE: A person is leading police on a wild car chase through Los Angeles County \ud83d\udc40\n\nhttps://t.co/X0kfExK3GD\u201d
— 7News DC (@7News DC) 1668044049

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took over the chase, which saw the suspect driving the wrong way, over medians, onto curbs, and threatening countless lives as he blasted through crowded intersections.

After several close calls on South Hacienda Boulevard, where the suspect reached speeds over 70 mph, the truck's front left wheel gave out. Losing control of the car and the situation, the suspect crashed into a Jeep, resulting in heavy damage.

Notwithstanding the damage, the suspect continued to press his luck.

Approaching traffic stopped at a red light, the suspect punched through four vehicles, hammering one into the intersection. A police cruiser barreled into the pickup in an apparent effort to prevent the suspect from endangering more lives. Several other police units closed in.

The front tires on Benitez's stolen truck were all rim, yet the rear drive still proved capable of scraping it along and into another gas station. LASD deputies immediately stormed the gas station, guns drawn.

After nearly toppling a gas pump, the suspect reversed into a deputy's vehicle. At that point, deputies — who believed the suspect was armed — weren't taking any more chances, electing instead to light Anchondo up.

Deputies riddled the stolen truck with bullets, but reportedly missed the suspect.

They approached the truck with ballistic shields and took Anchondo into custody.

\u201cLos Angeles police chase ending was nuts\u201d
— Ted Buddwell \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc8 (@Ted Buddwell \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc8) 1668047592

CBS News reported that one bystander was injured during the standoff and detained for refusing to get out of the line of fire.

Adrian Cruz had been sitting at the Hacienda Heights stoplight when the suspect drove into his sedan. A police cruiser rammed the white pickup, which in turn re-hammered Cruz's sedan.

Cruz said police began shooting at the suspect. "It just sounded crazy, like a war zone."

In total, three people were taken to the hospital with injuries caused by the suspect's reckless driving.

According to police records, Johnny Anchondo was previously charged with multiple felonies. He was arrested in November 2020, December 2020, January 2021, and February 2021, just in Los Angeles County.

San Francisco Becomes A Criminal Paradise

San Francisco Becomes A Criminal Paradise

San Francisco Has Become a Criminal's Paradise | @LevinTV

San Francisco Has Become a Criminal's Paradise | @LevinTV