Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said three males — ages 11, 13, and 15 — while riding in a car last year took video of themselves intentionally hitting a 63-year-old bike rider who was killed. The victim was on his way to work.
Detectives on Monday arrested the 13-year-old, police said, adding that they’re still looking for the 15-year-old. KRQE-TV reported late Tuesday that the 11-year-old also was caught. Blaze News is not naming the suspects due to their ages.
‘Just bump him, brah. … Yeah, just bump him. Go like … 15 … 20.’
Police said Scott Dwight Habermehl was riding his bike to work at Sandia National Laboratories around 4:40 a.m. on May 29, 2024, when he was struck by the car.
The males recorded video of themselves hitting the victim, police said, adding that the car’s driver — believed to be the 13-year-old — swerved from the southbound lane on Moon Street onto a dedicated bike lane and struck Habermehl.
Police said the males in the car saw the flashing light on the bicycle, and audio from the recorded video indicates they planned to hit the bicyclist.
The video captured conversation between the males, police said, adding that the driver said he was about to hit the bike rider, and the vehicle appears to accelerate. The backseat passenger — who police said appears to be the 15-year-old — said not to hit the bike rider going too fast: “Just bump him, brah.” Police said the driver replied, “Like bump him?” The backseat passenger replied, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like … 15 … 20.”
Police said the front passenger — believed to be the 11-year-old — was waving a handgun and ducked and laughed as the vehicle struck Habermehl. Police said the impact produced loud noises, including metal flexing, and Habermehl and his bicycle were sent over the top of the vehicle.
You can view a video report here about the crime; it includes cellphone clips of three males in the vehicle.
More from police:
APD’s Fatal Crash team investigated the deadly crash but did not determine who was in the car that struck Habermehl. A Crime Stoppers bulletin publicized a video image of the car from a nearby church.
In February, APD received an anonymous tip that cell phone video of the crash had been posted on social media. The tip included the identity of the Instagram account and its user. The case was turned over to the Homicide Unit on Feb. 25.
As detectives worked to investigate the Instagram account, which had been flagged in a separate investigation, a middle school principal reported to Albuquerque Public Schools police that a student reported the same video of the crash.
Detectives secured warrants for social media accounts and a search of phones that were previously seized from the 11-year-old and the 13-year-old during a separate investigation in June 2024, police said.
The police department’s Digital Intelligence Team identified several video clips showing all three of the suspects, including the original video of the crash, police said.
Detectives arrested the 13-year-old Monday “based on several charges, including 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.”
Homicide detectives also charged the 15-year-old with the same crimes, police said, adding that the 11-year-old is too young to be charged with murder. Police said detectives are working with the district attorney’s office and New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department to determine what charges he may face and if he can be held on those charges.
Police said the 13-year-old will be booked into the Juvenile Detention Center. KRQE said the 11-year-old was turned over to the state CYFD.
KRQE said it didn’t have the 11-year-old’s date of birth, so it isn’t yet clear if he was 10 years old in May 2024 or if he had just turned 11.
Police said they “had contact” with the 11-year-old last year, and KRQE said it covered at least one of those instances.
Just 12 days before the hit-and-run that took Habermehl’s life in May 2024, police said the 11-year-old and three teenagers crashed a stolen car into the Daily Needs Convenience store on Indian School Road, the station reported. After ramming the store twice, they jumped over the counters and grabbed cigarettes and alcohol, KRQE added.
The single mother who owned the car told the station she was “heartbroken because, again, this is my only mode of transportation, and to see how my car was used … was heartbreaking because I work so hard for what I have.”
KRQE said it didn’t have the 11-year-old’s date of birth, so it isn’t yet clear if he was 10 years old in May 2024 or if he had just turned 11. Police added to the station that he also was involved in a 2024 incident in which he shot at a person.
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Albuquerque, New mexico, Fatal hit and run, Video, Underage male suspects, Murder charge, Conspiracy to commit murder charge, Unlawful possession of a handgun charge, Leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death charge, Arrests, Crime
