The mothers of two teenagers accused in a fatal hit-and-run of a retired police chief in Las Vegas, Nevada, have differing opinions concerning the horrific incident.
Police arrested 17-year-old Jesus Ayala and 16-year-old Jzamir Keys in August after the pair hit the elderly man riding his bicycle on the side of a road, the New York Post reported Thursday.
The victim is identified as 64-year-old Andreas Probst.
Video footage shows the moments leading up to and after the collision.
One of the suspects is seen in the rearview mirror recording with a cellphone as the two drive down the street. As they approach the victim, who is wearing a red t-shirt and black shorts, the pair is heard laughing:
Moments after the collision, the camera swerves around to show the victim lying on the side of the road as the car drives away.
According to the Post, a judge has since ruled the teenagers involved will face charges as adults, adding that their unidentified moms had differing viewpoints regarding the matter.
Ayala’s mother said, “I don’t know why he did this. I don’t know if God can forgive this.” The Post noted Ayala was allegedly driving the car when the incident occurred.
Keys was later found after the video footage he recorded made its way into the hands of a school resource officer who informed law enforcement.
Meanwhile, Keys’ mother said, “My son’s side of the story will be told, ‘the truth,’ not the inaccuracies the media will try to portray.”
The suspects in the case now face charges of murder with a deadly weapon, battery, and attempted murder. The Post article further explains that the teenagers are accused of running over a man in his 70s, hitting another car, and stealing four others.
Retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officer Phil Ramos told NewsNation on Wednesday that the community is shocked by the incident.
“Their behavior has to be explained to some extent, but it starts at home. They’re not raised like this; it starts at home, and that’s where it goes wrong, and they just spiral out of control,” he said:
“Especially, at this age, to commit a crime like this, so heinous, at this age. I’m not surprised about the tattoos on the face, and I’m not surprised about the lengthy juvenile history,” Ramos added.
Prior to his retirement in 2009, Probst served as chief of police for the community of Bell, California, then relocated to Las Vegas.
During a press conference, his daughter said, “We believe that Andy’s murder is a direct result of society’s decayed family values and the strong effects that social media has on our youth.”
She also said the family believes it was “a random act of violence.”