Issac Marquez Vargas sentenced to 24 years for Coachella shooting

Issac Marquez Vargas, 26, of Thermal, has been sentenced to 24 years in state prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder and related charges. The plea agreement, reached with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, included admissions of sentence-enhancing allegations involving a firearm and great bodily injury, as well as committing a felony while on bail.

The incident occurred in the early hours of May 30, 2022, in a Coachella parking lot near Grapefruit Boulevard. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Vargas confronted a motorist who was returning to his vehicle from a nearby business and shot him multiple times before fleeing. The victim was treated at Desert Regional Medical Center and survived the attack.

Vargas was apprehended on June 16, 2022, following a standoff at his residence. As part of the pretrial agreement, prosecutors dropped several related enhancements in exchange for the guilty plea.