Who is Jesus Ayala? Las Vegas teen accused of killing bicyclist facing new attempted murder charge

Jesus Ayala, an 18-year-old from Las Vegas, has been implicated in a recent criminal case involving the tragic death of Andreas “Andy” Probst, a retired police chief, who was killed while riding his bicycle. Additionally, Ayala is now facing a new charge of attempted murder related to an earlier incident. This development follows his alleged involvement in Probst’s death last year.

Ayala, alongside co-defendant Jzamir Keys, faces 14 felony charges connected to Probst’s murder. On January 17, Ayala was arrested for attempted murder in a separate case that occurred prior to Probst’s death. The new charge stems from an incident on June 27, 2023, where a victim reported being attacked by several individuals, resulting in multiple lacerations to his torso and a significant cut near his ear. The attack, described as “extremely violent” by a witness, was estimated to last about a minute. Jesus Ayala was later identified as one of the attackers​​​​.

Who is Jesus Ayala?

Jesus Ayala, a resident of Las Vegas, was 17 at the time of his initial arrest in August 2023. He was apprehended shortly after the fatal incident involving retired California police chief Andy Probst, who was killed while bicycling. Video evidence suggests that Probst was intentionally hit by a car driven by Ayala. This video had previously gone viral.

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Subsequent investigations linked Ayala to another violent incident: a stabbing that occurred on June 27 near Washington Avenue and Jones Boulevard. The victim of this attack identified Ayala as his assailant, partly due to a distinctive large tattoo on Ayala’s face. Despite Ayala’s denial of involvement in the stabbing, he remains in custody on the prior murder charge.

Metro police identified Ayala as the driver and Jzamir Keys, 16, as the passenger in the vehicle used to hit Probst. Ayala’s criminal history includes prior interactions with the juvenile system. In Nevada, juveniles charged with murder can be tried as adults, meaning Ayala’s case was moved to the adult system.

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Earlier on the day of the incident involving Probst, Ayala and Keys were reportedly involved in another hit-and-run with a 72-year-old cyclist who survived. In this case, Keys was driving while Ayala recorded the incident. If convicted, the maximum penalty for Ayala and Keys could be life in prison with the possibility of parole, as the death penalty and life without parole are not applicable to defendants under 18 at the time of the crime.