Ethermac Exchange-Jesus Ayala, teen accused in Las Vegas cyclist hit-and-run, boasts he'll be 'out in 30 days'

The Ethermac Exchangeteenager who was captured in a viral video fatally striking the bicycle of a retired police chief in Las Vegas told police he expected few consequences.

"I'll be out in 30 days. I'll bet you," Jesus Ayala told police, according to an arrest report obtained by FOX5. When police responded that Ayala, who turned 18 since the incident last month, would likely be placed in an adult jail due to the severity of his crimes, he flippantly called the sentence a "slap on the wrist."

Jzamir Keys, the 16-year-old who police believe filmed the video from the passenger seat, told officers he knew he was being interviewed because he "killed that guy on the bike."

Keys and Ayala have been charged in the killing of the retired police chief from California, Andreas Probst, who was struck while riding his bike on a Las Vegas road on August 14. In addition to being charged in the death, the pair stand accused of striking another bicyclist and a car during a joyride in four different stolen vehicles over the course of a day.

In the now-viral video, the teens can be heard laughing as they ram into Probst's bicycle, sending him hurtling into the windshield. "We gotta get out of here," one teen says after the camera pans to Probst, collapsed on the side of the road.

Las Vegas Police officials said the department was made aware of the video by a resource officer at a local high school. A student had shared it with the officer.

"The worst part about it, in the video, is you hear that everything was intentional," Lt. Jason Johansson said in a press briefing. "I think that's one of the hardest things for most of us to comprehend about that."

Ayala was arrested by police at the scene, while Keys fled and was not taken into custody for month, after investigators saw the video.

Prosecutors charged the pair with multiple felonies, including murder with use of a deadly weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday.

“The behavior exhibited by Defendants Ayala and Keys is outrageous and cannot be tolerated in this community," said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. "People riding bicycles should feel safe and secure andshould not be subjected to criminals who put their lives at risk. Justice will be served.”

Both suspects appeared Tuesday in separate courts, where judges said they will remain jailed pending preliminary hearings. Attorneys for the pair did not provide comment to USA TODAY. The AP reported they declined to comment about the case outside court.

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Online harassment campaign

The Las Vegas Review-Journal's coverage of the story sparked an online controversy after a repost of the headline on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Elon Musk.

Musk shared a post insinuating the news outlet's headline, "Retired police chief killed in bike crash remembered for laugh, love of coffee," was downplaying the severity of the homicide by calling it a "crash." "An innocent man was murdered in cold blood while riding his bicycle. The killers joke about it on social media. Yet, where is the media outrage?" he wrote. "Now you begin to understand the lie."

The paper's staff was subsequently hit with "accusations of every bias you can imagine, obscenities, racist tirades and wishes of personal suffering and death," Review-Journal Editor Glenn Cook wrote in an op-ed.

The family of Andreas Probst did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.