2 men sentenced for fatal hit-and-run of bicyclist in Las Vegas that was
captured on video
[December 18, 2025]
By JESSICA HILL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two Nevada men were given lengthy prison sentences
Tuesday after pleading guilty to the fatal hit-and-run of a man who had
been biking alongside a road in Las Vegas. They recorded the collision
on video and laughed as they drove off.
A judge sentenced 20-year-old Jesus Ayala to 20 years to life, and
18-year-old Jzamir Keys to 18 years to life for second-degree murder
with a deadly weapon, the Clark County District Attorney’s Office
announced Wednesday. The two pleaded guilty in October in a deal with
prosecutors.
Retired California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, was riding
his bicycle in Las Vegas on Aug. 14, 2023, when he was intentionally
struck by a stolen vehicle, according to the Clark County District
Attorney’s Office. Ayala was driving, and Keys sat in the passenger
seat, according to the district attorney's office.
The video, taken from the passenger seat, shows the vehicle approaching
Probst from behind as he rides near the curb on an otherwise
traffic-free road. Voices in the car can be heard laughing as the
vehicle steers toward Probst and rams the bicycle. Probst hurtles
backward across the hood and into the windshield.
A school resource officer provided the video of the collision with
investigators, leading to the arrest of Ayala and Keys. It was later
posted to social media and shared by Elon Musk, bringing national
attention to the case.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the murders the most
“callous and heinous” acts he had seen in his career.
“Although the defendants were young, they knew right from wrong, and
nothing could excuse the decisions they made that day,” Giordani said in
a statement. “I hope this sentence sends a message to other juveniles
that life is sacred and if you take a life, you are forfeiting yours.”
Ayala, who law enforcement authorities say was a member of the Night
Crawlers gang, and Keys were juveniles at the time, limiting the court’s
sentencing range, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s
office. The court imposed the maximum sentence allowed. After 20 and 18
years respectively, Ayala and Keys will be eligible for parole.
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Jzamir Keys, left, and Jesus Ayala appear in court during their
sentencing for the killing of Andreas Probst, Tuesday, Dec. 16,
2025, at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu
Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
In a statement to The Associated Press, Ayala’s attorney P. David
Westbrook said Ayala is truly sorry for what he did. Westbrook noted
there's no guarantee his client will get parole.
“He recognizes that he can never make this right, and he does not
expect forgiveness, but in accepting this life sentence and sparing
the victims’ families from the additional pain of going through a
criminal trial, Mr. Ayala has done all he can do to show his
remorse,” Westbrook said in an email.
Keys' attorney did not return a request for comment.
Probst's family said in 2023 that Ayala and Keys laughed in their
direction while waiting for a court hearing to start, according to
the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Probst's family also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Hyundai
Motor Company, alleging Ayala and Keys were able to steal the
vehicle using the “Tik Tok method,” a way to steal a car
demonstrated on social media with just a screwdriver and a USB
cable. On Tuesday, Hyundai and Kia settled a multistate lawsuit that
made a similar claim, and the companies agreed to repair millions of
models for free to equip them with proper anti-theft technology.
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