The Las Vegas teen accused of intentionally driving into a retired police chief as part of a violent, laughter-filled crime spree was deemed incompetent to stand trial for the deadly hit and run.
Jesus Ayala, 19, was ordered to a Nevada psychiatric hospital Wednesday for treatment to restore his competency, Chief Deputy Public Defender David Westbrook told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The order, issued by Eighth Judicial District Judge District Judge Christy Craig, was out of an “abundance of caution” and suspends criminal charges against Ayala.
Craig had previously alluded to finding the teen as competent, but Westbrook had requested state doctors to review a report from a neuropsychologist before an official ruling was made, according to the Review-Journal.
Ayala was facing multiple charges, alongside his co-assailant Jzamir Keys, 17, for the 2023 murder of Andreas Probst.
Lawyers can also introduce new evidence of competency including Ayala’s behavior, demeanor in court, and refusal to participate in competency evaluations, according to an Order Of Commitment obtained by KTNV.
Ayala was sent to Lake’s Crossing Center, a maximum security psychiatric facility in Sparks, Nevada, just outside of Reno.
A new case was filed against Ayala on Thursday, accusing him of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and grand larceny auto, court records viewed by The Post showed.
Westbrook questioned why Ayala was charged in the case amidst the competency issues.
“They know competency has been challenged and they chose to file this case anyway,” he told the outlet.
Medical officials have evaluated Ayala since August while doctors were split on ruling him competent enough to stand trial following psychologist exams.
Doctors believe Ayala has some brain damage and Westbrook said several people described his condition as “pretty severe brain damage.”
Ayala and Keys were charged with multiple felonies including murder, battery, attempted murder, grand larceny of a vehicle, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Ayala, who was only 17 at the time, and Keys, 16, allegedly recorded themselves striking Probst, 64, who had been riding his bicycle on a neighborhood street.
Horrifying video filmed from the front passenger seat shows the stolen vehicle approaching Probst from behind and suddenly ramming into him, sending the beloved husband onto the hood and into the windshield.
The laughing teens then allegedly dumped the car, which was covered in blood, about 10 minutes away, 8NewsNow reported — before stealing two more vehicles that they then crashed into each other near a shopping mall.
The teens were allegedly on a wild crime spree that morning where just before dawn they struck a 72-year-old cyclist.
Ayala was nabbed by cops hours later, but bragged he would be out in a month.
“You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I’ll be out in 30 days, I’ll bet you,” Ayala told the cops, according to KLAS.
Ayala is also facing an attempted murder charge in a separate “extremely violent” group attack resulting in one person being stabbed multiple times.
The stabbing victim suffered multiple lacerations including a large one to the head before he sought treatment at University Medical Center (UMC) on June 27, 2023.
Ayala’s trial for the Probst murder had been scheduled for November.
Keys is expected to appear back in court on Oct. 22, with his trial to begin on Nov. 12, court records indicated.