Marines live-fire mishap during Vance visit prompts finger-pointing: What to know

A live-fire mishap that caused metal shrapnel to damage a patrol vehicle while Vice President Vance was visiting a California military base is facing intense scrutiny from officials who question how the unusual incident was allowed to happen. 

The premature detonation of 155 millimeter artillery as Camp Pendleton celebrated 250 years of the U.S. Marine Corps — part of a live simulation of a beach assault by sea and air — caused shrapnel to fall over the Interstate 5 freeway and dented a California Highway Patrol (CHP) car parked on an on-ramp. The incident has since been labeled by the CHP Border Division as an “unusual and concerning situation.”

The accident has raised questions as to whether the U.S. military correctly coordinated with state and local officials ahead of the ceremony and whether it was wise to fire live munitions over a freeway during an event that had an estimated 15,000 attendees.

Here’s what to know: 

The incident

The shrapnel that fell onto the patrol car on Saturday came from Marines firing high explosive rounds from M777 Howitzers over Interstate 5 — which runs between the beach and the rest of Camp Pendleton — into designated ranges.

The Marines were conducting a live-fire demonstration as part of an event held ahead of a celebration for the Marines’ 250th birthday on Nov. 10, with Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the base.  

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the Marines on Friday did a test run of the live-fire demonstration, firing artillery rounds over Interstate 5, without notifying state officials. Motorists were driving on the highway at the time of the test run, which the Marines said was part of a dress rehearsal, and that it was an “established and safe practice.”

In a newly released report from CHP, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, officials say at 1:46 p.m. on Saturday a 155 mm artillery round fired from Red Beach “failed to clear the roadway and detonated midflight.”

Earlier in the day, Newsom had announced the closure of a 17-mile stretch of the interstate over safety concerns, but a patrol cruiser that was part of a protective detail for Vance was parked on an on-ramp of the roadway as debris began to rain down.

“The detonation produced small pieces of metal debris that fell onto the closed freeway,” according to the report. “One piece of shrapnel struck the hood of a CHP patrol vehicle, causing a small dent and scratch.”

No injuries were reported, but investigators recovered two pieces of shrapnel measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches long.

The exercise “was terminated and no additional munitions were fired” after Marines at the scene were notified of the premature explosion, according to the report. The freeway has since been reopened following safety sweeps. 

'Highly uncommon'

The Marines, who also have announced they will look into the incident, said they regularly fire artillery at Camp Pendleton, according to First Marine Expeditionary Force spokesperson Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis.

Dreibelbis told the Times that service members fire artillery at the base nearly every week, and that systems such as the M777 “are designed to fire over the heads of friendly forces to achieve effects on our adversary. We trust this system with our lives.” He noted that “Marines have safely and effectively employed this system in combat operations, such as in Syria.”

But California officials days earlier had expressed fears about those live rounds being fired over Interstate 5.

CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado called the incident “unusual and concerning,” noting that it was “highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.”

“As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them,” he said in a statement. 

He called for a formal after-action review “to strengthen communication and coordination between federal, state, and local partners during future demonstrations or training events near public roadways.”

The CHP is not aware of live fire occurring over Interstate 5 in the past, it told the Times.

Finger-pointing

Late Friday ahead of the live-fire demonstration, Newsom had criticized the administration for what he said was “a profoundly absurd show of force that could put Californians directly in harm’s away.”

Saturday morning, he issued a statement declaring that firing live rounds over a busy highway “isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous,” and said a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 5 would be closed during the demonstration “due to safety concerns.”

The White House’s rapid response team on the social platform X at the time derided Newsom for closing the freeway. 

“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,” according to the post on X. 

Following the incident, the White House has remained quiet. The Hill reached out to Vance’s office for comment, but received none. The Pentagon referred The Hill to the Marines.

But Newsom said President Trump and Vance “put lives at risk to put on a show.”

“You accused the Governor of overreacting when he closed a portion of the freeway to protect the public,” Newsom’s office posted to X. “Without a doubt an apology is owed — to not just Californians, but all Americans.”

“This could have killed someone,” Newsom later said in a post on X from his personal account.

When reached for comment, the First Marine Expeditionary Force told The Hill that live-fire trainings occur “year-round” at Camp Pendleton” and Saturday’s demonstration “went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens.”