LAS VEGAS — A judge in Las Vegas ruled that one of the two teenagers charged with murder for a crash recorded on video—where a stolen car struck a bicyclist—will be deemed unfit to stand trial next month.
Court documents indicated that the ruling was made on Wednesday, with the judge ordering the 19-year-old to be transferred from jail to a secure psychiatric facility in Nevada for evaluation and treatment, while also allowing for the possibility of a trial if he is assessed to be competent. This commitment order halts any criminal charges against him for the time being.
The public defender assigned to the case, David Westbrook, did not respond to inquiries about the matter on Thursday.
Both the older teen and his younger co-defendant, who also faces charges, have pleaded not guilty to murder and other serious felonies stemming from their involvement in a series of car thefts and hit-and-run incidents that occurred in August 2023, including the apparent deliberate striking of a bicyclist in a quieter area of northwest Las Vegas.
Due to their ages at the time of the alleged offenses, the identities of the defendants are being withheld.
Police reports indicated that prior to the tragic incident, the teenagers had stolen a vehicle, which they then used to hit a 72-year-old bicyclist, before fleeing the scene. The elderly man experienced knee pain but fortunately did not require hospitalization.
The individual who was killed in the incident, 64-year-old Andreas “Andy” Probst, was a retired police chief from Bell, a city on the outskirts of Los Angeles. According to Probst’s family, he was out for a recreational ride when video footage captured the moment he was struck from behind, leading to his fatal injuries on the roadside.
Cellphone footage recorded from the vehicle’s front passenger seat was widely shared online before authorities managed to locate and arrest the two teens.
Under Nevada laws, youths aged 13 and above can be prosecuted as adults for severe charges such as murder or attempted murder. However, these defendants cannot face the death penalty due to their ages, with a potential sentence of 20 years to life imprisonment if found guilty of murder.
Court documents also reveal that the older defendant has pleaded not guilty to additional charges of attempted murder, battery, and attempted robbery in a separate case linked to a stabbing that happened in June 2023.
As for the younger defendant, it remains uncertain whether he will still stand trial on November 12, as scheduled. A pretrial hearing is set for November 5 in Clark County District Court, and his attorney, Daniel Hill, has yet to respond to any queries regarding the case.
