A 155-millimeter shell fired during a live-fire demonstration for the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton on Saturday prematurely detonated, dropping fragments of the shell on a California Highway Patrol vehicle and motorcycle that were part of Vice President JD Vance’s protective detail, according to a patrol report.
Patrol officers checked the interstate for shell fragments but found none, and declared it clear before reopening it to vehicular traffic at 2:20 p.m.
The decision to fire live artillery shells from the oceanfront training area was described as unusual by an active-duty Marine artillery officer and a former Marine artillery noncommissioned officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared reprisal.
The Marines fired howitzer shells across Interstate 5 on Friday evening as a rehearsal, evidently without incident.
The Marine Corps said before the event that the exercise would occur on “approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols” without the need to close public roads.
The California Highway Patrol reported that a 155-millimeter shell fired during a live-fire demonstration for the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton on Saturday prematurely detonated, scattering shell fragments on a motorcycle and vehicle belonging to Vice President JD Vance’s protective detail.
When shrapnel fell onto cars parked on a ramp leading to a major freeway that the governor had ordered closed, no officers were injured. Gavin Newsom. . The governor had ordered the closure of a 17-mile section of Interstate 5 after objecting to the plan to fire over it. Military officials had advised that the stretch should remain open.
The patrol report states that two officers witnessed a two-inch piece of shrapnel strike the hood of their patrol vehicle, causing a minor dent, and another officer reported hearing what sounded like pebbles hitting his motorcycle and the surrounding area. According to the report, shrapnel was discovered on the road close to the motorcycle.
Mr. Newsom had cautioned that drivers on the route between Los Angeles and San Diego may be at risk due to the Marine Corps’ intentions to fire artillery shells over Interstate 5, the primary north-south route on the West Coast. Around 80,000 people use that section of the interstate every day, and the closure he ordered on Saturday resulted in severe backups.
“The White House and the vice president should not be so careless with people’s lives for their vanity projects next time,” Mr. Dot Newsom said in a statement to The New York Times, adding that “we love our Marines and owe a debt of gratitude to Camp Pendleton.”.
Lt. Col. The First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton spokeswoman Lindsay Pirek stated that the Corps was aware of the report of a potential airborne detonation and that an investigation was in progress.
“We are dedicated to identifying the underlying cause of the incident and using the results in subsequent missions,” Colonel Pirek stated. The statement didn’t go into further detail about the weapons that were used in the drill.
Mr. Vance’s spokesperson told reporters to contact the First Marine Expeditionary Force and declined to comment.
The California Highway Patrol report states that the artillery round was fired at 1:46 p.m. m. from White’s Beach, roughly three-quarters of a mile south of Las Pulgas Road, where the highway patrol officers had parked after accompanying Mr. Dot Vance to the function.
The patrol stated that the round prematurely exploded, ending the exercise, which was supposed to involve firing about 60 155-millimeter shells, according to the report. Patrol officers reopened the interstate to traffic at 2:20 p.m. after determining it was clear after searching for shell fragments but finding none. m.
The demonstration, which was attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Mr. Dot Vance, was a part of a larger exercise commemorating the Corps’ 250th anniversary. Following the initial volley fired by M777 howitzers, a Marine spokesman who was with reporters watching the exercise was dragged aside by another Marine, who then informed the news media that the original plan for multiple volleys had been retracted. The spokesperson, Lt. Colonel. Brian Coleman did not provide any additional details, but he did mention that there had been a lot of back and forth between officials in the days before the event.
An active-duty Marine artillery officer and a former Marine artillery noncommissioned officer who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation described the decision to fire live artillery shells from the oceanfront training area as unusual. Those Marines claimed that the only howitzer training they had ever seen at Camp Pendleton had occurred at authorized artillery ranges east of the interstate on the base’s main side, which they claimed to be a far safer training location.
Another local highway patrol official called it an “unusual and concerning situation.”. “It,” said Tony Coronado, the head of the highway patrol’s border division, in a statement.
It is extremely rare for any explosives or live-fire training exercise to take place close to an active freeway. “.”.
An active duty Marine who has served as an artillery officer for more than 20 years says such incidents are extremely uncommon. The Marine, who was not permitted to speak in public, stated that a malfunction in the projectile’s fuze—a mechanical or electromechanical device attached to the shell’s nose that causes it to explode—was the most likely cause of such an incident.
On Friday night, the Marines practiced firing howitzer shells across Interstate 5, apparently without any problems.
Before the exercise, the Marine Corps stated that it would take place on “approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols” and that no public roads would need to be closed.
According to the Marines, “all air, surface, and ground movements are scripted and rehearsed in accordance with established safety checklists and standard operating procedures.”.
