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A teenager who was caught on camera laughing as he fatally ran over a retired police officer on his bike is not fit to stand trial next month.
Jesus Ayala was 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 'out in 30 days…it was just a hit and run – a slap on the wrist'.
Now, weeks before his murder trial, there are questions about his mental competence.
Jesus Ayala was transferred from prison to a maximum security psychiatric facility in Las Vegas to undergo further competency testing. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said 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 allegedly dismissed 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 raised concerns that the teen had brain damage.
The criminal proceedings against Ayala should be suspended until an official determination is made regarding his fitness to stand trial.
Ayala and his co-accused, Jzamir Keys, were ages 17 and 15 at the time of the accident, which prohibits the state from imposing the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted.
At most, they could receive life in prison with parole eligibility after 20 years, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said.
The pair were reportedly in the middle of a crime spree at the time of Probst's death, having previously stolen a series of cars and run over another cyclist, aged 72. That man survived the collision with minor injuries.
Probst was a retired former police chief who was on a recreational bicycle ride when he was struck from behind and left on the side of the road to die.
Probst, 64, was fatally struck Aug. 14 while riding his bicycle in northwest Las Vegas. Footage filmed by the passenger appears to show he was killed intentionally
Probst was a retired former police chief who was riding his bicycle when he was struck 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 lineup after his arrest for the fatal attack on Probst.
Ayala, pictured with a black NC tattoo on his cheek, faces another attempted murder charge after he was stabbed in the face in June. Police said he is a member of the 'Night Crawlers criminal gang'
Jesus Ayala, 19, and Jzamir Keys, 16, are suspected of intentionally assaulting Andreas Probst, 64, as he rode his bicycle along an empty highway 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 drove close to the curb on a road with no traffic.
Laughter and comments from inside the car are heard before Probst, wearing a red shirt and dark shorts, is hit and thrown against the windshield.
A final image of the moving car shows the retired police officer on the ground next to the curb.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said 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.
