13-year-old driver and passenger, 15, charged with murder in New Mexico after deliberately hitting cyclist in bike lane and uploading footage to social media

Police in New Mexico have released footage of the moments before a cyclist was "purposely" hit and killed by youths in a stolen car, one passenger as young as 11 years old.

Albuquerque's police department confirmed a 13-year-old, believed to have been the driver, and 15-year-old passenger 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.

An 11-year-old passenger is to be placed in the custody of a Children, Youth & Families Department and evaluated, detectives working with prosecutors, according to AP, to determine what charges can be brought against him and whether he can be detained as children aged 11 and younger cannot be held at a juvenile detention centre.

The cyclist, 63-year-old physicist Scott Dwight Habermehl, was riding to his workplace at Sandia National Laboratories when the youths approached in a stolen car. During the incident, which happened on 29 May 2024, the hit-and-run was filmed and posted on social media, police later responding to reports from those who saw it online.

A section of the video stopped just before the impact [released by police and seen below in a local news report] shows the boys approaching Mr Habermehl as a voice says, "Just bump him."

The police said the driver, believed to be the 13-year-old, replied: "Like bump him?"

A passenger answering: "Yeah, just bump him. Go like … 15 … 20."

Police explained the vehicle's driver then veered into a dedicated bike lane and hit the cyclist, sounds of "metal flexing" heard.

At a news conference, Albuquerque mayor Tim Keller said, "These children are murderers."

Police Chief Harold Medina explained how the 11-year-old had been in custody since June, with the state's Children, Youth & Families Department, but that he cannot be prosecuted or detained effectively due to his young age.

"Scott was riding his bike with his helmet in a bike lane with a safety light on when he was struck by a car, and the car left," Police Commander Kyle Hartsock said at the news conference. "The case was actually closed pending further leads," he had earlier told reporters.

In February, two people reported the video to a parent and school administrator after seeing it on Instagram, something which then helped officers to identify the three suspects and last week obtain arrest warrants.

"The front passenger, believed to be the 11-year-old who was waving a handgun, ducked and laughed as the front, passenger side of the vehicle struck Habermehl," a police statement explained. "There were loud sounds, including metal flexing, as the momentum of the crash carried Habermehl and his bicycle on top, and off, the passenger side of the vehicle."

The 13-year-old was on juvenile probation, while the 15-year-old was last year also suspected in doorbell thefts, participating in a $15,000 burglary of beer, alcohol and cigarettes, and a minor-injury shooting.

In 2023, two teens in Las Vegas were arrested after allegedly filming themselves killing a cyclist, before they were then accused of trying to kill a second bike rider in a different incident. In October, a judge ruled that one of the suspects Jesus Ayala was incompetent to stand trial and he was sent to a maximum security psychiatric facility.