A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy died after suffering a medical emergency while taking part in an annual 120-mile relay race from Baker to the Las Vegas Valley on Sunday, his department has confirmed.
Levi Vargas, 30, was taking part in the run alongside other law enforcement personnel when he suffered an unspecified emergency. Despite the life-saving measures that were taken, Vargas was later pronounced dead.
The Baker to Vegas race is the force’s premier sports event, running through the Mojave Desert in LA. Thousands of dollars are raised to send a 20-person team to the race, which begins in the northern area of Baker and runs 120 miles through to the Las Vegas Strip. The event began in 1985.
It is known for its extreme conditions and runs large swathes of the gruelling Mojave Desert. The U.S. Marshals Service described it as a course that “pushes runners to their limits with punishing terrain, extreme temperature swings, long, steep mountain climbs, and miles of isolation” in a statement following 2025’s race.
Vargas had been a veteran member of the department for over 11 years, having joined in 2015 as a teenager. He started as a custody assistant and later graduated from the Academy Class 413, according to officials. He survived by his wife, as well as his parents and siblings.
Video broadcast by ABC Los Angeles showed him being escorted by colleagues from a Las Vegas hospital to the morgue. He will then be transported to Southern California. Vargas was based in San Dimas, 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The department said it was “shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss”.
“He was known among his colleagues and friends for his professionalism, commitment, and compassion to our communities,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement released after the death.
“His loss is deeply felt across our Department, and he will be greatly missed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office for LA also released a tribute to Vargas on Sunday, writing that it was “shocked and saddened by the death”.
“Our deepest sympathies go to the deputy’s family and to our law enforcement colleagues and fellow runners at LASD,” it wrote in a statement on X on Sunday.
The area where Vargas died has been hit by record-breaking heat, prompting the National Weather Service to issue health alerts to numerous cities.
High temperatures, considered life-threatening in some instances, were recorded over the last week, with numbers up by 30F compared to the average for this time of year.
A rapid analysis by the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London suggested that the climate crisis is a key contributor to soaring temperatures. Co-author of the report, Ben Clarke, said that the numbers were “completely off the scale for March” in the report, which was released earlier this month.
