Two teenagers accused of killing a retired police chief were seen smirking, laughing and making obscene hand gestures in court as their trial date was set.
Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16, both face charges which include numerous felonies including murder in relation to the death of Andreas Probst, 64.
The defendants could be seen smiling and laughing as Probst’s family gathered in a Las Vegas court room for a hearing on Tuesday morning.
The pair have been charged as adults and entered not-guilty pleas to multiple felonies including murder, battery and grand larceny of an automobile.
Probst died after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle down a highway, which police believe was intentionally done by Ayala and Keys in August.
The two teenagers could be seen smirking and laughing in the court room alongside their alleged victim’s family on Tuesday
During the hearing, in which a trial date was set, the two are also said to have flipped off Probst’s daughter and wife
Ayala and Keys are both facing charges which include numerous felonies including murder in relation to the death of Andreas Probst, pictured here
Probst daughter Taylor told KSNV after the hearing: ‘These guys did not respect the court whatsoever. They were just d*****g around the entire time.’
During the hearing, in which a trial date was set, Taylor said the two had flipped her and her mother off.
She told the outlet: ‘They (the defendants) were flipping us off. How can you sit there after taking a man’s life and act like such an entitled p***k?’
Besides the fatal collision with Probst, which the two are said to have filmed, police also believe they had been involved earlier that day in another incident of a 72-year-old cyclist being mowed down.
New video released by a local court on Monday allegedly shows the teens laughing and intentionally striking the 72-year-old man.
The victim suffered a knee injury from the crash but survived, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Separate surveillance footage showed what’s believed to be the suspects trying to flee the cops by running through a parking lot.
As well as the two cyclists, police say that the two teenagers stole three cars and committed burglary all within two hours.
Ayala is facing 18 charges over the incident, including murder, attempted murder, battery with use of a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and numerous separate larceny and burglary charges.
Officers arrested Ayala hours after he allegedly drove into Probst and told officers that he wouldn’t be locked up for long.
Ayala told cops: ‘You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I’ll be out in 30 days, I’ll bet you.’
Probst daughter Taylor slammed the two for their behavior in court, saying the two had been ‘d***ing around’
Probst, 64, was was fatally struck on August 14 while cycling in northwest Las Vegas. Footage filmed by the passenger shows he was intentionally killed by the driver
Surveillance footage, released Monday, showed what’s believed to be the suspects trying to flee the cops by running through a parking lot
He added: ‘It’s just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist’, despite cops not mentioning the accident to him yet, according to KLAS. His comments were caught on police body cameras.
Cops had only arrested him for a warrant and obstructing a peace officer but discovered the sick footage of Probst being struck by a car on his phone.
They also found a second video of a Kia Soul driving into another cyclist, with the footage seemingly recorded by Ayala who appeared to be the passenger of the car.
His passenger, Jzamir Keys, 16, is accused of filming the sick footage of the attack, who goaded the retired cop as they collided with him.
Graphic video shows a dashboard view from the front seat of a vehicle approaching Probst from behind while he was riding near the curb on an otherwise traffic-free road.
Laughter and comments from inside the car are heard before Probst, wearing a red shirt and dark shorts, was struck and thrown against the windshield.
A final image from the moving car shows the retired top cop on the ground beside the curb.
At a news conference, Taylor Probst described her father — known by loved ones as ‘Andy’ — as a man of honor and integrity who worked for more than 35 years in law enforcement
Jesus Ayala’s mother said she ‘doesn’t know,’ if her son – who was 17 at the time – can be forgiven for his alleged crimes.
She previously told 8 News Now: ‘I don’t know why he did this. I don’t know if God can forgive this.’
Keys’ mother vowed that his ‘side of the story’ will be told, branding it as ‘the truth’, rather than the ‘inaccuracies the media will try to portray.’
During an earlier court hearing, two of Keys’ relatives cried, and one of Ayala’s female relatives also attended.
She shielded her face and held back tears as she walked past reporters outside the courtroom afterwards, according to the Journal.
Ayala has a long criminal history in the juvenile system, according to 8 News Now, while Keys was placed in the child welfare system at eight years old.
Andreas Probst is pictured here with his daughter Taylor in an undated photo
Prosecutors believe the slaying of Probst, a former police chief in Bell, California, ended the spree.
Deputy Police Chief Nick Farese called the ‘intentional’ hit in a stolen vehicle and the sick video ‘a cowardly act that in my 22 years of law enforcement left me personally appalled’.
At a news conference, Taylor Probst described her father — known by loved ones as ‘Andy’ — as a man of honor and integrity who worked for more than 35 years in law enforcement.
‘We are devastated by the senseless murder of Andy,’ she said. ‘Andy’s life was robbed by two individuals who did not believe that lives of others matter.’
Probst urged the DA’s office to ‘take these crimes to the furthest extent of the law’.
Judge Bluth set a trial date of Sept. 16, 2024. The teens and their attorneys are expected in court again in March to assess trial readiness.