Premature Artillery Round detonation Halts Marine Presentation Over California Interstate
CAMP PENDLETON, CA – A planned artillery demonstration by the U.S. Marines went awry Wednesday afternoon when a 155mm artillery round detonated prematurely, showering a section of Interstate 5 with shrapnel. The incident prompted an immediate halt to the exercise and triggered an investigation by the First Marine expeditionary Force.
According to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) incident report, the demonstration began around 1:46 p.m. and was initially slated to involve approximately 60 artillery rounds fired over a five-minute period, concluding at 1:51 p.m. however, shortly after the firing commenced, a round exploded outside the designated impact area, sending debris onto the busy highway.
An unoccupied CHP patrol vehicle sustained minor damage,with shrapnel approximately 2 inches by 2 inches leaving a “small dent/scratch” on the vehicle’s hood. A CHP motorcycle officer reported hearing debris fall near him, discovering a piece of shrapnel roughly one inch long and half an inch wide within three feet of his motorcycle, which was not damaged. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
A live video feed of the demonstration captured audio of what sounded like rapid gunfire, accompanied by an announcer’s commentary: “Thuuunderrrr. The guns recoil. The earth shakes and 1-5-5 mm shell tears through the air. … Steel rain inbound.” The announcer then fell largely silent.
Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis, spokesperson for the First Marine Expeditionary Force, confirmed the investigation in a statement to The Times.”the demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” he said. “We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions.”
Dreibelbis emphasized the frequency of artillery training at Camp Pendleton, stating Marines fire artillery “nearly every week.” He also defended the M777 artillery system, saying, “These systems are designed to fire over the heads of friendly forces to achieve effects on our adversary. We trust this system with our lives,” and noting its successful use in combat operations, including Syria.
The incident drew swift criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse former President Donald Trump and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric vance, who was observing the demonstration, of recklessly endangering lives. “This could have killed someone,” Newsom stated in a post.
The Marine Expeditionary Force Communication Strategy and Operations team released a statement to Fox News affirming that firing was suspended following established safety protocols and that an investigation is underway. “No injuries occurred, and the demonstration concluded as scheduled,” the statement read. “We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions.”
