Shrapnel Raining Down On Major SoCal Freeway Was ‘One-In-A-Million’ Fluke: Marines Conclude

CAMP PENDLETON, CA — Falling shrapnel that struck two California Highway Patrol vehicles when artillery exploded prematurely over a closed Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton in October was caused by a "one-in-a-million” malfunction, according to a Marine Corps investigatory report obtained by The New York Times.

The artillery was fired as part of a celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th anniversary. The vehicles that were hit — a motorcycle and a patrol car — had escorted Vice President JD Vance to the festivities and then been directed to stand by at the interstate’s southbound entrance ramp at Las Pulgas Road.

The freeway was only empty that day because Gov. Gavin Newsom abruptly closed it when he belatedly found out that the federal government planned to fire live munitions over one of the state's busiest freeways as a demonstration for Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

• RELATED: Artillery Explodes Over I-5, Hitting CHP Vehicles Near Camp Pendleton

About 60 rounds were scheduled to be fired from 1:46 p.m. to 1:51 p.m., but after the mid-flight detonation near the interstate, the exercise was terminated, the report said.

Highway patrol officers reported a pebble-like sound on the motorcycle and found a 2-by-0.5-inch piece of shrapnel on the hood of the car, as well as a dent and a scratch, according to the report, which added that a 1-by-0.5-inch shrapnel piece was discovered near the motorcycle.

In the investigative report, the Marines blamed the projectile’s fuze, a device screwed into the nose of an artillery shell that initiates an explosion.

It wasn't immediately clear why the fuze malfunctioned; however, the report said it may have been caused by the “near simultaneous” firing of two large artillery weapons, called howitzers, positioned close to one another. The report also said the “potential presence of anomalous electromagnetic energy” that could have interfered with the detonation timing.

The report mentioned a previous incident involving the same fuze at a live-fire exercise at Fort Drum in New York.

No one was hurt, according to the report, but the incident did result in a clash between Newsom and the Trump administration.

At the time, Newsom called the firing of live rounds over the interstate “dangerous” as well as “reckless” and “disrespectful.” He weighed in on the explosion with a post on X.

“We love our Marines and owe a debt of gratitude to Camp Pendleton, but next time, the Vice President and the White House shouldn’t be so reckless with people’s lives for their vanity projects,” he wrote.

The White House’s rapid response team on the social platform derided Newsom for closing the freeway, according to a report by The Hill.

“Not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns with today’s exercises,” the post reads.

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