Report: Teen charged with murder in hit-and-run claimed he’ll ‘Be out in 30 days’

A teenager accused of mowing down a retired police chief in a fatal hit-and-run last month told police he thought he would receive a “slap on the wrist,” according to an arrest report released Monday.

“You think this juvenile s—t is gonna do some s—t? I’ll be out in 30 days. I’ll bet you,” Jesus Ayala told a police officer after he was detained in connection with the death of 64-year-old Andreas Probst, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

Ayala, then 17, turned 18 earlier this month.

‘Justice will be served’

Prosecutors formally charged Ayala and Jzamir Keys, 16, with murder and other charges on Monday, according to a statement from the Clark County district attorney’s office. The teenagers are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to be arraigned on the charges.

“The behavior exhibited by Defendants Ayala and Keys is outrageous and cannot be tolerated in this community,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in the statement. “People riding bicycles should feel safe and secure and should not be subjected to criminals who put their lives at risk. Justice will be served.”

Ayala is accused of driving the vehicle that struck Probst on Aug. 14 as he rode his bicycle on North Tenaya Way, near Centennial Parkway. Authorities have said Keys was riding in the passenger seat and filming a disturbing video that showed the teenagers laughing before they struck Probst and throwing him 96 feet before he hit the ground, according to the arrest report.

The teens were riding in a Hyundai Elantra that had been reported stolen, the report said. The two are also accused of hitting another bicyclist, who suffered a knee injury, and striking another car in the half-hour before the two mowed down Probst, the report said.

As police searched for the additional suspect after Ayala was first arrested, officers spoke with a student at a local high school, the name of which was redacted from the arrest report. The student told police that Keys sent him video of the hit-and-run through a social media group chat.

‘Bump him. Bump him. Bump him.’

Police obtained multiple videos taken on Aug. 14, the report said. One 27-second video showed Ayala swerving while driving the reported stolen vehicle. Another video, which was 10 seconds long, showed a vehicle hitting the other bicyclist at about 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 14.

“The sound of the vehicle’s horn can be heard being pushed several times as a male’s voice says, ‘Bump him. Bump him. Bump him,’ ” according to the report.

The officer who authored the report wrote that the video was taken by Ayala while he was in the passenger seat.

Police also obtained a video of the teens filming themselves hitting the car, according to the arrest report. The driver of the other vehicle told police it appeared that the teens were trying to “get the attention of young female school students” in the neighborhood before they started following his vehicle.

The Hyundai rammed into the driver’s back bumper at Tenaya Way and Azure Drive before speeding away, according to the report.

Minutes later, the car slammed into Probst near Tenaya Way and Centennial Parkway, less than a half-mile from where the car was hit, according to the report.

At about 8 a.m., police received several 911 calls reporting that two juveniles wearing masks fled the area after crashing a Hyundai into a pole at Craig Road and Rancho Drive. Police who were driving to the scene saw two teenagers running through a desert area. Ayala was arrested after a brief chase, but the other teenager evaded officers, the report said.

Keys was identified after police interviewed witnesses and reviewed the videos and surveillance footage, according to the report.

Ayala, who was arrested on the morning of the hit-and-run, also faces charges of battery with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, failing to stop at the scene of a crash, leaving the scene of a crash, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a burglary tool, according to the district attorney’s office. Keys faces additional charges of battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

The two remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Monday without bail. Attorneys are expected to present arguments on the teens’ custody status during Tuesday’s hearing.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.