Judge sentences Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys for the 2023 hit-and-run that was recorded on cellphone video.
LAS VEGAS — A Clark County judge on Tuesday sentenced Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys to decades-to-life in prison for killing retired California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst in a deliberate hit-and-run while he rode his bicycle in northwest Las Vegas in August 2023.
Prosecutors said the case gripped Las Vegas because the fatal strike was captured on video from inside a stolen car and shared widely online. Ayala, now 20, and Keys, now 18, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder and related charges. On Tuesday, the court imposed the terms outlined in their agreements: Ayala will serve 20 years to life; Keys will serve 18 years to life. The sentencing closes a high-profile case that began as a suspected crash, escalated into a murder investigation after the video surfaced, and sparked outrage from cycling advocates, law enforcement and the Probst family.
The attack happened the morning of Aug. 14, 2023, on a quiet roadway in the Centennial Hills area. Investigators said the teens were driving a stolen Hyundai when they approached Probst from behind. The passenger filmed as the driver laughed and veered into the bike lane, striking the 64-year-old and launching him onto the windshield before the car sped away. Minutes earlier, authorities said, the pair had struck a 72-year-old bicyclist who survived. Police arrested the driver later that day after a separate crash; the passenger was identified after a school resource officer provided the video weeks later. “There is no excuse for what you two have done and the pain you have caused,” District Judge Jacqueline Bluth said at sentencing, according to the courtroom record.
In October, both defendants admitted to second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Ayala also pleaded guilty to battery with a deadly weapon tied to the earlier nonfatal strike. Prosecutors said evidence included the cellphone recording, vehicle damage with blood on the windshield, and witness accounts from the roadway and the later crash. Metro Police and the district attorney’s office said the stolen Hyundai linked the morning’s incidents. Family members delivered victim impact statements describing a husband and father known for steady leadership and dry humor. The defendants did not speak in court. Their ages at the time—17 and 16—made them ineligible for the death penalty under Nevada law; both were tried as adults.
Probst served more than three decades in law enforcement, including as police chief in Bell, California, before moving to Las Vegas. The video’s release in September 2023 intensified public attention, with local leaders condemning the act as “callous” and “cowardly.” Records show the case moved through youth certifications to adult court, then competency reviews and scheduling, before plea talks accelerated this fall. The family later filed a civil wrongful death suit connected to the stolen-vehicle issue, and cycling groups pressed for safer corridors in far-northwest neighborhoods where multiuse paths meet fast arterials.
Tuesday’s sentencing concluded a proceeding punctuated by tearful statements from Probst’s widow and children, who described the milestones he will miss. The court credited presentence custody but denied any request that would shorten minimum parole dates. The judge said the punishment reflected not just the killing but the pattern of dangerous conduct that morning. Prosecutors said they were satisfied the terms ensured lengthy confinement with lifetime supervision possible after parole review. Defense counsel noted the pleas spared the family a trial while preserving a