Teen Who Gleefully Ran Down Retired Police Officer Declared Unfit To Stand Trial

A Las Vegas teen accused of intentionally running down a retired police chief as part of a disturbing hit-and-run incident has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.

Jesus Ayalya, 19, was ordered to a Nevada psychiatric hospital Wednesday for treatment aimed at restoring his competency, Chief Deputy Public Defender David Westbrook told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The order, which was handed down by Eighth Judicial District Judge District Judge Christy Craig, was out of an “abundance of caution” and effectively suspends criminal charges against Ayala.

Ayalya, who had just turned 18 at the time of the killing, and Jzamir Keys, 16, uploaded a video, seemingly of themselves, as they intentionally plowed into retired police chief Andreas Probst as he was riding his bicycle. The video shows the teens, who were allegedly operating a stolen vehicle, laughing and cheering as they swerved into the unsuspecting Probst.

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“Ready?” Ayala, who was 17 at the time, can be heard asking in the video as he drove down a Las Vegas road. “Yeah, hit his ass,” says Keys, who was recording in the passenger seat. 

The teens were also charged with striking another bystander during their crime spree, during which they allegedly commandeered four different vehicles. They were both charged with murder and are being tried as adults.

Throughout the court proceedings, the suspects have been seen giggling in court and have even flipped off the victim’s family members.

“How can you sit there after taking a man’s life, and act like such an entitled p—k?” Taylor Probst, Andreas’ 27-year-old daughter, said outside of the courthouse after an October 2023 hearing. “They really had no remorse, that this is just a game to them.”

“They were just trying to mad-dog us and intimidate us, which didn’t work,” she added.

Ayala in a Clark Cottony courtroom Photo: Fox 5 Las Vegas

Judge Craig had previously suggested that the teen would be deemed as competent to stand trial, but Westbrook had called on state doctors to review a report from a neuropsychologist before an official ruling was made, according to the Review-Journal.

Lawyers can introduce new evidence of competency relating to Ayala’s behavior, demeanor in court, and refusal to participate in future competency evaluations according to an Order Of Commitment obtained by KTNV.

As a result of the ruling, Ayala was sent to Lake’s Crossing Center, a maximum security psychiatric facility in Sparks, Nevada, just outside of Reno, the New York Post reported.

A new case was filed against Ayala on Thursday, accusing him of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and grand larceny auto, court records show.

Westbrook questioned why Ayala was charged in the case considering the competency issues. “They know competency has been challenged and they chose to file this case anyway,” the public defender said.

Doctors have been split on deeming Ayala as competent since they have been conducting evaluations starting in August. Westbrook has argued that Ayala suffers from brain damage, claiming that some individuals have described his condition as “pretty severe brain damage.”

Ayala and Keys were charged with multiple felonies including murder, battery, attempted murder, grand larceny of a vehicle, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

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