U.S. teens charged with murder in hit-and-run of bicyclist posted on social media

The Albuquerque Police Department headquarters is seen, Feb. 2, 2024, in Albuquerque, N.M. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder in an apparently deliberate hit-and-run of a bicyclist that was recorded on video from inside a stolen car, Albuquerque police said.

The teenager, who is believed to be the driver, and a 15-year-old have been charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, according to a late Monday police statement.

An 11-year-old also was involved but is too young to be charged with murder, police said. Detectives are working with prosecutors and state social workers “to determine what charges he may face and whether he can be held on those charges,” according to the statement.

The 13-year-old was expected to be booked into juvenile detention. The statement said detectives were searching for the other boys.

Scott Dwight Habermehl, 63, was riding to his job at Sandia National Laboratories early in the morning last May when he was hit by a car that swerved into the bike lane, according to police.

The crash was recorded from inside the car and circulated on social media. In the recording, a voice believed to be the 13-year-old can be heard saying he is about to hit the bicyclist, according to law enforcement. The car appears to accelerate and a voice believed to be the 15-year-old’s says, “Just bump him, brah.”

The driver asks, “Like bump him?”

A passenger says, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like…15…20.”

Loud sounds can then be heard in the recording, including “metal flexing,” according to law enforcement.

A middle school principal was among those reporting the video to police after a student flagged it.

The Associated Press doesn’t typically name people under 18 accused of a crime.

A similar case involving teenage boys who allegedly recorded themselves planning to hit a bicyclist who ended up dying happened in Las Vegas in 2023.

The Associated Press