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6d ago

Artillery Round Detonates Over Closed I-5 During Marines Display, Damaging CHP Vehicle

California had shut a 17-mile stretch of the freeway for the Camp Pendleton event after late safety warnings.

The California Highway Patrol released a photo of a patrol car dented by metal shrapnel near Interstate 5 when an artillery round from Camp Pendleton prematurely detonated during a live-fire exercise Saturday.
Part of the I-5 will be closed for a Marine Corps live-fire event at Camp Pendleton. When does it reopen?
Vice President JD Vance speaks during an event to mark the upcoming Marine Corps' 250th anniversary on Oct. 18  on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Camp Pendleton. A CHP cruiser was struck by shrapnel after an artillery round exploded midair during the event.

Overview

  • Police said a 155mm shell exploded prematurely over Interstate 5 during the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary demonstration, sending shrapnel onto a CHP patrol car and a motorcycle detail without injuries.
  • CHP reported it alerted the Marines immediately, after which live firing over the freeway was suspended and the area was swept as an investigation got underway.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom had ordered the closure earlier in the day over public-safety concerns about live rounds crossing a major corridor that carries about 80,000 travelers and significant freight daily, with parallel passenger rail service halted.
  • Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the Camp Pendleton display, and prior to the incident Marine officials and Vance’s office maintained the exercise was routine and safe.
  • CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado called the episode “unusual and concerning,” and the agency is seeking an after-action review of planning, communication, and coordination with federal partners.