Mothers of Las Vegas teens accused of intentionally hitting cyclist speak out

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The mothers of two teens accused of intentionally hitting a cyclist which resulted in his death addressed the allegations on Wednesday.

Both teens, Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys appeared in separate rooms in juvenile court that morning. They are expected to face charges including murder and attempted murder.

Ayala, the accused driver, was 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime spree. Tuesday marked his last court appearance in the juvenile system as the case was formally moved to adult court.

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8 News Now reached out to Ayala’s mother by phone.

“I don’t know why he did this,” she said. “I don’t know if God can forgive this.”

On Aug. 14, Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, a retired California police chief was riding his bicycle in a designated bike lane when the driver intentionally swerved to hit Probst.

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Probst was taken to University Medical Center and later pronounced dead.

The teens did not stop at the scene. Police identified Keys, 16, as the passenger who recorded the incident while both teens appeared to laugh.

The deadly hit-and-run crash occurred at around 6 a.m. near Tenaya Way and Centennial Parkway.

Las Vegas Metro Police said they took Ayala into custody that day on charges related to the deadly hit and run and later learned about a video of the incident from a school resource officer.

The homicide unit took over the case.

Keys was taken into custody on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The 8 News Now Investigators reached out to his mother by phone. She initially hung up and then responded to a text message stating her family was not making any statements or addressing any accusations without their legal team.

“My son’s side of the story will be told, ‘the truth,’ not the inaccuracies the media will try to portray,” the text read.

Police revealed at a news conference on Tuesday that the teens were involved in a crime spree starting with a hit and run of another cyclist. The 72-year-old man survived. Police said they believed Keys was the driver at that time.

In the video recorded by the passenger, the teens are seen hitting another car on the road moments before hitting and killing Probst.

The teens had stolen four cars that day, police said.

The 8 News Now Investigators have learned that Jesus Ayala, the accused driver has a lengthy record in the juvenile system.

As for Jzamir Keys, the accused passenger, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned he was in the child welfare system at 8 years old. His mother was charged with five counts of child abuse in 2016, according to court documents. Police said they found her five children ages two to nine years old home alone without access to food, a knife left on a kitchen counter, and the house in poor condition.

Neighbors reported witnessing the children left alone for extended periods of time. The mother said that she could not find childcare while she worked. She pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor child abuse. She later withdrew her plea after she successfully completed terms of probation and received a conviction for misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Both teens are expected to be moved to the adult jail in downtown Las Vegas within the next 24 hours.

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