Retired California Police Chief Andreas Probst, 64, was killed while cycling in the early morning hours of August 14 in Las Vegas, according to a report from the New York Post.
The incident was captured on video by one of the two teenagers in the vehicle that fatally struck the retired law enforcement officer.
Social media users are expressing outrage and concern about the apparent targeting of the man as he cycled in the bicycle lane. Video footage of the incident has gone viral.
The video, which was later discovered by the Las Vegas police on social media, shows the unidentified 17-year-old driver of a Hyundai asking his companions, “ready?” as one of them films the scene, laughing.
One of the passengers can be heard saying, “Yeah, hit his ass,” just moments before the driver deliberately crashes into Probst, according to the Post report.
The footage further captures the passengers hurling expletives at other vehicles as they speed along North Tenaya Way, near West Centennial Parkway.
As they approach Probst, who was wearing red and riding his bicycle, the driver, seemingly emboldened by his friends’ encouragement, veers into the bike lane, honks, and then violently collides with Probst’s bicycle.
The impact is so severe that Probst was sent flying off his bike. The passenger filmed Probst lying motionless on the road, remarking, “Damn that n—a got knocked out!” as the sound of the car accelerating away is audible.
Warning: Disturbing Video
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the teenager was apprehended by the police shortly after the incident. He has been charged with murder, a decision influenced by the damning evidence in the video.
The fate of the passenger who filmed the incident remains uncertain with no clear indication of whether he faces any charges.
Probst, who had dedicated 35 years of his life to law enforcement, was rushed to the University Medical Center but was pronounced dead upon arrival, the report noted.
He had relocated to Las Vegas after retiring as the chief of police in Bell, California, in 2009. His dedication to service and his warm personality were remembered at a memorial service held earlier this month.
“He was honestly like a ray of sunshine,” his daughter, Taylor Probst, said. “That just bled through your life.”
His wife, Crystal Probst, added, “He was an amazing man, a husband. A father, a brother.”
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