() An 11-year-old boy who was allegedly involved in the fatal hit-and-run of a bicyclist during a joyride in a stolen vehicle last year will be charged with murder when he turns 12 this month, the local district attorney says.
“We need to do everything we can to hold these young kids accountable when they do something like this and protect the community,” District Attorney Sam Bregman of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, told “Banfield” exclusively Thursday.
The announcement comes after a 13-year-old boy, who drove the vehicle that struck and killed 63-year-old Scott Habermehl, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A judge ordered him held until he turns 21.
New Mexico juvenile code needs updating: Prosecutor
The 11-year-old, who cannot be detained until he turns 12, could receive the same punishment under state law, said Bregman, who confirmed he knows where the boy is located.
A third juvenile involved in the crime was 15 at the time of the hit-and-run and has been charged as an adult. He is in jail awaiting trial.
Bregman said the case and the different ways the offenders have been charged demonstrate how New Mexico law must be updated to reflect changing times. His office has charged 46 youthful offenders with murder during his tenure, he said.
“We don’t have a juvenile code in New Mexico that has caught up with the things that we’re seeing on the streets of Albuquerque. It’s very disheartening,” he said.
The Associated Press reported that police in Albuquerque have arrested many teens in homicide cases.
Bicyclist killed when youths swerved to hit him in stolen vehicle: Police
Habermehl, an engineer, was riding his bicycle to Sandia National Laboratories last May when the youths, riding in a stolen vehicle, intentionally swerved to strike him, authorities said.
Cellphone video of the crash that surfaced on social media was instrumental in helping police track down the suspects. In the footage, the 11-year-old can be seen brandishing a handgun while the 15-year-old, riding in the back, urges the driver, who is 12, to strike the bicyclist.
A voice believed to be the 15-year-old’s said, “Just bump him, brah,” according to the Associated Press.
The driver then asked, “Like bump him?” The rear passenger allegedly responded, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like… 15… 20.”
The 11-year-old has also been arrested in the past for break-ins and burglaries in Albuquerque, according to the Associated Press. Police have also accused him of shooting and hurting a teenager, where police found firearms and a bulletproof vest that had been stolen from a police car.
