LASD deputies boycott Baker to Vegas run to show support for deputy convicted of excessive force

Deputies from more than 20 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stations are boycotting the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay to show support for a fellow deputy convicted of excessive force. 

In February, a jury found Trevor Kirk guilty of a federal civil rights violation for using excessive force during an incident outside a Lancaster grocery store in June 2023. He was convicted after the FBI took control of the investigation.

"The Department recognizes that having one of our employees convicted by a federal jury is a significant matter and we understand the frustration it has caused among our personnel," LASD said in a statement "Despite allegations to the contrary, this case was not referred to the FBI nor the U.S Attorney's Office by anyone within the Department as indicated in the official court transcript."

Federal prosecutors said he assaulted and pepper-sprayed the woman, who allegedly matched a suspect description, after she started recording him and another officer with her phone while they were arresting a man.

The two deputies had been responding to a possible robbery call.

As Kirk awaits sentencing, facing up to 10 years in prison, some of his former colleagues in the department are speaking out in support — with deputies from more than 20 stations around LA County boycotting the annual 120-mile run. 

"Deputies have become reluctant in a dangerous situation because they are afraid of being the next Trevor Kirk," said Nick Wilson, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Association, which provides legal aid and other resources to deputies.

Kirk, a father of two and U.S. Army veteran, was relieved of duty without pay. LASD stated that they respected its personnel's decision to opt out of the event. 

"The Department respects our personnel's right to opt out of participating in the upcoming Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, which is a longstanding athletic event meant to foster comradery, health, and sportsmanship," LASD brass stated. "We wish all our participating teams success and look forward to celebrating their dedication as they run the challenging 120-mile relay race."

He is scheduled to face sentencing on April 21.

"This sends a very strong message to deputies who feel abandoned right now by their agency," Wilson said.  

The Sheriff's Department stated that it has received reports that some of their staff have been harrassed and bullied for participating in the race. 

"The Department issued an internal global email on March 5, 2025, to personnel after it had received several reports from personnel who have stated they have been targeted with actions of harassment, threats of retaliation, and bullying related to participating in the Baker to Vegas race," LASD stated. "We want to emphasize that whether or not personnel choose to participate, any form of harassment, retaliation, or misconduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

Cesar Romero, president of LASPA, said he has been fielding calls from deputies since Kirk's conviction. He said they have been "voicing their frustration, their anger and their concern — how to go about doing about their job without having the concern of being prosecuted."

They're boycotting the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, which brings together law enforcement each year, as a sign of protest.

"What better way to do something that has never been done, certainly not by the sheriff's department," Romero said.

Wilson said deputies cannot go on strike or just all call in sick so the boycott is one way to show support and solidarity.

"It is the only thing that deputies can do within their control, within their power, that does not hurt their community," Wilson said. "So this is a very powerful example of standing in solidarity."

Deputies joining the protest come from stations across a wide stretch of the region, from Lancaster to West Hollywood.

Tom Yu, Kirk's attorney, said the LASD Training Bureau believed Kirk's use of force was reasonable and lawful. He has filed a motion to vacate the verdict while Kirk awaits sentencing. 

In a statement, the victim's attorney, Caree Harper, said Kirk was rightfully convicted and is "unworthy of protesting for."

"He is not an ordinary deputy who was doing something he felt was the right thing to do," Harper said in the statement. "Kirk is a felon that threw my client down merely because she was filming an arrest that he was participating in."

"He had no legal cause to violently throw her down without saying a word," the statement continues. "The hard-working women and men of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department should pick someone worthy of their protest."

When federal prosecutors announced Kirk's charges in September, LASD released a statement saying he had been relieved of duty pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. 

"We have strict Department policies and procedures pertaining to the use of force and personnel are not immune from the law and accountability when they violate those standards," the department said in a statement. "We expect our personnel to make appropriate decisions that maintain the public's trust while serving our community with professionalism and respect."

While announcing the guilty verdict in February, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California described the encounter that led to Kirk's conviction. In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Kirk approached the victim — identified only as "J.H." — after he saw her recording him on her phone while he and another officer were arresting a suspect in Lancaster.

They were responding to a possible robbery, and prosecutors said she also matched the description of a suspect.

"Kirk then approached J.H. and, without giving any commands, attempted to grab her phone. J.H. turned away, at which point Kirk grabbed J.H. by her arm, hooked his left hand behind her neck, and violently threw her face first to the ground," the statement reads, adding that he later used his LASD radio "to give a misleading report that he was in a 'fight.'"