Las Vegas teens accused of killing bicyclist crashed stolen cars, attempted 2nd murder in 2-hour crime spree: sources
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The two Las Vegas teenagers accused of intentionally hitting and killing a cyclist allegedly tried to kill a second biker, stole three cars and committed a burglary all in the span of about two hours, sources told the 8 News Now Investigators.
Jesus Ayala, 18, the accused driver, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime spree, was facing 18 charges including murder, attempted murder, battery with the use of a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident, and numerous larceny and burglary charges, records showed.
Ayala, and Jzamir Keys, 16, who is identified as the second suspect, appeared for the first time in adult court on Thursday. Keys, who police identified as the passenger in the vehicle, was facing murder, attempted murder and battery charges.
Both Ayala and Keys were facing charges in the death of Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, a retired California police chief. Probst was riding a bicycle in a marked lane on Aug. 14 near Tenaya Way and Centennial Parkway in the northwest Las Vegas valley when Ayala intentionally crashed into him, documents said.
Police initially classified Probst’s death as a hit-and-run. In late August, a student brought video of the alleged murder to a school resource officer who alerted its existence to police, officials said in a news conference Tuesday.
Police took Ayala into custody on the morning of then-hit-and-run, police said. Police arrested Keys on Tuesday. Both were certified as adults in the court system on Wednesday.
The stolen car that Ayala and Keys allegedly used to murder Probst was found ditched near Craig Road and Jones Boulevard – less than 10 minutes from the crash site, sources told the 8 News Now Investigators.
The stolen vehicle was located with blood on its windshield, sources said.
About a half-hour before Probst’s murder, the teenagers allegedly attempted to hit another bike in the area of Fort Apache and Washburn roads, police said.
In the hours after Probst’s death, the teenagers allegedly stole two more cars in the area of Lake Mead Boulevard and Torrey Pines Drive, sources said. About an hour after allegedly hitting and killing Probst, the teenagers took the two stolen cars and crashed them into each other near a shopping plaza at Lake Mead and Rainbow boulevards, sources said.
The teenagers then allegedly broke into a garage where they took several items, and returned to the area where Probst was hit and killed in one of the two-crashed stolen cars, sources said.
Officers managed to take Ayala into custody, but Keys ran off, sources said.
As the 8 News Now Investigators reported in August, police did not have enough evidence in the weeks after the crash to charge Ayala with murder since the video did not surface for two weeks.
Both teenagers appeared in adult court Thursday for their initial appearances.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
