A teenager who was caught on camera laughing while fatally running over a retired police officer on his bicycle is ineligible to stand trial next month.
Jesús Ayala has been transferred from prison to a maximum security psychiatric facility in Las Vegas to undergo further competency testing.
The 19-year-old was arrested in August 2023 and charged with murder, accused of intentionally running over Andreas Probst, 64, in a stolen car.
Ayala taunted police officers at the time of his arrest, allegedly telling them that because he was a minor he would be “free in 30 days… it’s just a hit and run: a slap on the wrist.”
Now, weeks away from his murder trial, there are questions about his mental capacity.
Jesús Ayala has been transferred from prison to a maximum security psychiatric facility in Las Vegas to undergo further competency testing. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that the teenager is a member of the ‘Night Crawlers’ criminal gang, in an arrest report. Ayala has the letters NC tattooed prominently on her cheek.
During a previous hearing, the two teenage suspects are said to have tricked Probst’s daughter and wife and laughed among themselves.
Ayala and Keys face charges including murder in connection with the death of retired police chief Andreas Probst, pictured.
During a competency hearing Wednesday in Nevada, Ayala’s public defender revealed that some doctors had expressed concern that the teen had brain damage.
The criminal proceedings against Ayala should be stayed until an official determination can be made about his suitability to stand trial.
Ayala and his co-defendant, Jzamir Keys, were ages 17 and 15 at the time of the crash, which prohibits the state from imposing the death penalty or life in prison without parole if they are convicted.
At most, they could receive life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said.
The duo were allegedly in the middle of a crime spree at the time of Probst’s death, having stolen a series of cars and run over another cyclist, 72, earlier. That man survived the collision with minor injuries.
Probst was a retired former police chief who was out for a bike ride when he was hit from behind and left on the side of the road to die.
Probst, 64, was fatally struck on Aug. 14 while riding his bicycle in northwest Las Vegas. Footage filmed by the passenger appears to show that he was intentionally killed.
Probst was a retired former police chief who was out for a bike ride when he was hit from behind and left on the side of the road to die.
Ayala faces a separate charge of attempted murder for a separate alleged crime, accused of stabbing a man in the face on June 27, 2023. Court proceedings in that matter will also be affected by the outcome of the competency hearing.
The victim in that case came forward and identified Ayala in a photo array after his arrest for the fatal attack on Probst.
Ayala, pictured with a black NC tattoo on his cheek, faces another charge of attempted murder after he was stabbed in the face and in June. Police said he is a member of the ‘Night Crawlers criminal gang’.
Jesús Ayala, 19, and Jzamir Keys, 16, are suspected of intentionally hitting Andreas Probst, 64, while he was riding his bicycle on an empty road around 6 a.m. on August 14, 2023.
The graphic video shows a dashboard view from the front seat of a vehicle approaching Probst from behind as he was traveling close to the curb on a roadway that is otherwise free of traffic.
Laughter and comments could be heard from inside the car before Probst, dressed in a red shirt and dark shorts, was hit and thrown against the windshield.
A final image of the moving car shows the retired senior police officer on the ground next to the curb.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that the teenager is a member of the ‘Night Crawlers’ criminal gang, in an arrest report.
Ayala has the letters NC tattooed prominently on her cheek.