las vegas — Two Nevada men were sentenced to long prison terms Wednesday after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run accident involving a man who was riding his bike along a road in Las Vegas. They recorded the collision on video and laughed as they left the car.
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that a judge sentenced 20-year-old Jesus Ayala to 20 years in prison and 18-year-old Jazamir Keyes to 18 years to life in prison on a charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The two pleaded guilty in October in a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the murders “the most cruel and heinous acts” he had witnessed in his career.
He said in a statement: “Although the defendants were young, they knew right from wrong, and nothing could justify the decisions they made that day.” “I hope this sentence sends a message to other juveniles that life is sacred, and if you kill yourself, you forfeit your life.”
Retired California Police Chief Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, was riding his bike 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.
The video, taken from the passenger seat, shows the car approaching Probst from behind as he drove near the curb on a traffic-free road. Voices in the car can be heard laughing as the car barrels toward Probst and collides with the bike. Probst rushes back through the hood and into the windshield.
Provided by the school resource officer Video of the collision with investigators leading to the arrest of Ayala and Keyes. It was later posted on social media and shared by Elon Musk, bringing national attention to the issue.
Ayala, who law enforcement says was a member of the Night Crawlers gang, and Keyes were juveniles at the time, which limited the scope of the court’s sentences, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. The court imposed the maximum permissible sentence. After 20 and 18 years, respectively, Ayala and Keys will be eligible for parole.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Ayala’s attorney, P. David Westbrook, said Ayala is truly sorry for what he did. Westbrook noted that there is no guarantee that his client will receive parole.
“He realizes he can never make this right, and does not expect a pardon, but in accepting this life sentence and sparing the victims’ families the additional pain of a criminal trial, Mr. Ayala has done everything in his power to show remorse,” Westbrook said in an email.
Keys’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.