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A teenage car passenger who filmed his friend fatally mowing down a retired ‘sunbeam’ police chief has been caught and arrested.
Las Vegas police previously arrested the 17-year-old driver behind the wheel of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra who deliberately struck 64-year-old Andreas Probst, and on Tuesday they also arrested his accomplice.
Both boys have been charged with murder and will be tried as adults after attacking Probst around 6 a.m. on August 14 on the freeway in northwest Vegas.
Police said they also tied the teens to at least three hit-and-run incidents the same day. They believe the killing of Probst, a former police chief in Bell, California, ended the wave.
Graphic video shows a dashboard view from the front seat of a vehicle approaching Probst from behind as he drove along the curb on an otherwise traffic-free road.
Andreas Probst (pictured) was fatally struck by a teenage driver in an intentional collision in Las Vegas on August 14. Both the driver and his accomplice in the passenger seat who took a sick video of the murder have now been charged with murder
Probst, 64, was fatally struck on August 14 while cycling in northwest Las Vegas. Footage filmed by the passenger shows he was deliberately killed by the teenage driver
Laughter and commentary are heard from inside the car before Probst, wearing a red shirt and dark shorts, was punched and thrown against the windshield.
A final image of the moving car shows the retired top cop on the ground next to the curb.
Deputy Police Chief Nick Farese called the “intentional” collision in a stolen vehicle and the sick video “an act of cowardice that has personally shocked me in my 22 years in law enforcement.”
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he took a personal interest in the case and vowed to charge both teens as adults. Until then, he said they would not be identified due to their age.
“Justice will be served in this case,” Wolfson said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Taylor Probst described her father — known to loved ones as “Andy” — as a man of honor and integrity who spent more than 35 years in law enforcement.
“We are devastated by Andy’s senseless murder,” she said. “Andy’s life was taken by two individuals who did not believe that the lives of others mattered.
“We believe Andy’s murder is a direct result of society’s decaying family values and the powerful effects social media has on our youth.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Taylor Probst (left) described her father (right) – known to loved ones as “Andy” – as a man of honor and integrity who spent more than 35 years in law enforcement.
“We are devastated by Andy’s senseless murder,” Probst’s daughter said. “Andy’s life was taken by two individuals who did not believe that the lives of others mattered
Taylor Probst (second from left) described her father (far right) as “a man of honor and integrity” and “a pillar of the community”
She added that her family viewed his killing as “a random act of violence” that had nothing to do with his race or profession.
“We ask that you do not politicize Andy’s murder or use it to fuel political agendas or create culture wars,” she said.
Probst added that he was known among colleagues as “a jokester” with a dark sense of humor.
“His death should be treated the same way he lived, with honor and integrity, and perhaps a dark joke here and there. Oops! Too early, Andy would say.’
Probst urged prosecutors to “bring these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”
The 17-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of traffic violations in connection with the fatal collision on the day of the accident.
Andreas Probst (pictured surrounded by his family) was fatally struck by a teenage driver in an intentional collision in Las Vegas on August 14. Both the driver and his accomplice in the passenger seat who took sick video of the murder have now been charged with murder
Probst retired to Nevada after stepping down as police chief of Bell, California, in 2009
“He really was like a ray of sunshine that just flowed through your life,” said Probst’s daughter Taylor, seen with her mother Crystal at a memorial vigil at the crash site.
Police said they initially did not become aware of the video until weeks later, when a school employee provided it to investigators, leading to a murder charge against the driver and a police investigation into the passenger in the video.
The second teen was arrested Tuesday. Police have not released his age.
Police say the crime started around 5:30 a.m. when the teens allegedly hit a 72-year-old cyclist before speeding off and crashing into a Toyota Corolla.
The driver was not injured in the crash, police said, although they did not detail what injuries the cyclist suffered.
Seconds after hitting the Toyota, the teens plowed into Probst as he rode his bicycle in a designated bike lane, police said.
They left laughing, Farese said, “and left him for dead on the side of the road.”