It was horrible enough that retired police chief Andreas Probst, 64, was hit and killed while riding his bike in Las Vegas.
But it got so much worse when a video came out about how he was killed, that he was run down intentionally by teens in a car, who giggled with one even saying "Hit his ass." You can see that graphic video here. After allegedly hitting Probst, they fled and left him lying there to die. The video was shocking and it went viral on social media because of the laughter, the seemingly deliberate nature of the act, and the filming of it. Police discovered it and then said they believed the actions to be intentional.
Now, the teens have been identified. And it turns out they aren't just accused of hitting and killing Probst.
Jesus Ayala, 18, who turned 18 since the incident, and Jzamir Keys, 16, appeared in court in Las Vegas on Thursday.
When Ayala was originally picked up, he was arrested on a warrant as well as for obstructing a police officer, and he told them he thought he would be out in thirty days.
“You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I’ll be out in 30 days, I’ll bet you,” Ayala told the cops, according to KLAS.
“It’s just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist.”
It looks like he may have miscalculated on that.
They're being charged as adults, and Ayala has now been hit with 18 charges including murder, attempted murder, and grand larceny.
Keys was hit with three charges including murder.
They were allegedly riding in a stolen car. They're also accused of hitting another car and another cyclist before they hit Probst. That was a 72-year-old man, who survived. They're also accused of stealing two more cars after hitting Probst and crashing them into each other.
Prosecutors sought high bail against the two teenagers, saying they were a danger to the community.
The teens' mothers weighed in on the arrest of their sons. But the reaction perhaps says something about each of the mothers.
“I don’t know why he did this,” Ayala’s mother told KLAS Wednesday. “I don’t know if God can forgive this.”
“My son’s side of the story will be told, ‘the truth,’ not the inaccuracies the media will try to portray,” Keys’ mother said in a text to the station.
Ayala had previous charges as a juvenile according to prosecutors.
Probst's daughter Taylor praised her father as a "man of honor" and blamed social media.
“We ask you please do not politicize his death or use it for culture wars. He was a man of honor, with 35-plus years in law enforcement. A little league dad, an honorary Girl Scouts member, a real-life ‘Pee-Wee Herman,’ a jokester, a prankster,” Probst said.
“We believe that Andy’s murder is a direct result of society’s decayed family values and the strong effects that social media has on our youth,” Probst added.
With the charges they are facing, the teens face up to 30 years to life. I think Ayala may be finding out it's not going to be a "slap on the wrist" this time as he thought.
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