During a military demonstration celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps, shrapnel from artillery rounds fired unexpectedly struck a patrol car. The incident occurred in front of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as the rounds were fired over Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. This live fire demonstration coincided with the “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump and his administration, which were taking place across Southern California and the nation.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that a 17-mile stretch of the busy freeway, which typically serves over 80,000 vehicles daily, was shut down during the artillery demonstration. California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that his office was notified by the federal government on Saturday morning regarding the live artillery firing plans over the heavily traveled freeway, prompting the CHP to act swiftly and enforce a temporary closure.
Despite earlier assurances from the military that no mortar rounds would be fired over the freeway and that activities would be confined to training fields at Camp Pendleton, the situation escalated. On the morning of the demonstration, the federal government requested that electronic highway signs be updated to read “LIVE WEAPONS OVER FREEWAY,” alerting drivers to the potential danger.
For hours, drivers in Southern California faced severe gridlock on the freeway or had to reroute through lengthy detours as shrapnel reportedly fell around the closure zone. A police report obtained by ABC News indicated that a CHP patrol SUV was struck by shrapnel, leaving a dent and a two-inch by half-inch piece of debris on the hood. Officers at the scene noted that one officer riding a CHP BMW motorcycle heard what sounded like 'pebbles' falling around him.
Upon realizing that a mortar round had failed to clear Interstate 5, the CHP promptly notified the Marine Corps about the incidents of falling shrapnel. As a result, the Marine Corps immediately canceled any further live fire exercises over the freeway, conducting a safety sweep to search for additional debris, although none was found.
Officials at Camp Pendleton have initiated an investigation to determine the root cause of the premature detonation. In a statement, they assured that the demonstration underwent a rigorous safety evaluation with multiple layers of redundancy to safeguard the public. In response to the incident, Governor Newsom expressed his concerns on social media platform X, emphasizing that while the state values its Marines and the contributions of Camp Pendleton, the actions taken during the demonstration were reckless and endangered public safety.
The CHP has requested an after-action review with the federal government to discuss the implications for public safety and to prevent similar incidents in the future. As this situation unfolds, the intersection of military demonstrations and public safety remains a critical concern for officials and citizens alike.
