The Vegas teen who callously mowed down a retired police chief last year was found incompetent to fit trial and will be released to a psychiatric ward.
A judge this week deemed Jesus Ayala unfit for trial after he boasted to cops that he would be out of jail shortly after being arrested on murder charges.
KLAS reported:
A judge has deemed a teenager accused of intentionally hitting and killing a former police chief who was riding his bike not competent to stand trial, records said.
Police arrested Jesus Ayala, 19, on Aug. 14, 2023, shortly after retired California police chief Andy Probst, 64, was killed while riding his bicycle in the northwest valley. Video from that morning’s alleged crime spree showed two bicyclists appearing to be intentionally hit in separate locations.
Ayala’s public defender had requested Judge Christy Craig deem Ayala incompetent amid conflicting psychological evaluations and possible “brain damage,” records said. Craig ordered Ayala to one of two state forensic hospitals on Wednesday, according to court documents.
Records show two doctors found Ayala competent to stand trial, meaning he understood the charges against him and could aid his attorney. Another doctor found Ayala incompetent to stand trial, records said, prompting Clark County Public Defender David Westbrook to ask the judge to declare Ayala incompetent to stand trial.
As previously reported, Jesus Ayala was facing murder charges after he fatally struck 64-year-old retired police chief Andreas Probst. On August 14th, two teens allegedly stole a Hyundai, took the vehicle on a hit-and-run crime spree, and recorded it with a phone.
On August 29th, Las Vegas Police Detectives found the phone recording on social media and determined it was intentional.
According to police, the driver, Jesus Ayala, was involved in other car thefts that day.
A video posted to social media shows the phone recording from inside the stolen car as Ayala, who was 17 at the time, intentionally commits a hit-and-run. Ayala shouts expletives out the window after he randomly hits a car. After the hit-and-run, Ayala and Keys saw a bicyclist up ahead and went for it.
Ayala intentionally swerved the car and hit the bicyclist. 64-year-old Andreas Probst was hit at a high speed and flew over the car. The impact broke the windshield. “Hit his ass,” the teens said before Probst slammed into the windshield.
Jesus Ayala sped off and left the crash scene. Probst was taken to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead.
Ayala previously bragged to cops he would be out of jail in 30 days shortly after he was arrested for striking Probst. Police had not told him about the hit-and-run charges.
“You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I’ll be out in 30 days, I’ll bet you,” Jesus Ayala boasted to Las Vegas cops, according to KLAS. “It’s just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist.”
Jesus Ayala was being held without bail after being hit with 18 charges including murder, grand larceny, battery with use of a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
Ayala’s passenger, Jzamir Keys, 17, was arrested and hit with 3 charges, including a murder charge.
Jzamir Keys
The November trial for Jzamir Keys will likely be delayed.
