Premature โArtillery Roundโค detonation Halts โMarine Presentation Over California Interstate
CAMP PENDLETON, CA – A planned artillery demonstration โคby the U.S. Marines went awry Wednesdayโฃ afternoon when a 155mm artillery round detonated prematurely, showering a sectionโฃ of Interstate 5โค with shrapnel. The incident prompted an immediate halt to the exercise โฃand triggeredโ an investigation โขby the First Marine expeditionary Force.
According to a California Highway Patrol โค(CHP) incident report, the โคdemonstration began around 1:46 p.m. and was โinitially โslated to involve โapproximately 60 artillery rounds fired over aโฃ five-minute period, concluding at 1:51โค p.m. however, shortly after the firing commenced, aโ round exploded outside theโข designated impact area, sending debris โonto the busy highway.
An unoccupied CHP patrol โฃvehicle sustained minor damage,with shrapnel approximately 2 โinches by 2 inches leaving a “small dent/scratch” โขon the โvehicle’s hood. A CHP motorcycle officer reported hearingโ debrisโ fall near him, discovering a piece of shrapnelโ roughly one inch long and halfโ an โinchโ wide within three feetโข of his motorcycle, which was not damaged. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
A live video feed ofโค the demonstration captured audio of what sounded โlike rapid gunfire, accompanied by an announcer’s commentary: “Thuuunderrrr. The guns recoil.โค The earth shakes and 1-5-5 mm shell tearsโฃ through the air. … Steel โrainโ inbound.”โค The announcer โthen fell largely silent.
Capt.โ Gregory Dreibelbis, spokespersonโค for โthe First Marineโ Expeditionary Force, confirmed the investigation in a statement to The Times.”the demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and โคdeliberate layers โขof redundancy, to ensure the โsafety of fellow โcitizens,” โhe said. “We are committed to determining the incident’s rootโ causeโค and applying findings to future missions.”
Dreibelbis emphasized โthe frequency of artillery training at โCamp โคPendleton, stating Marines fire artillery “nearly every week.” He also defended the M777 artillery system,โ saying, “These systems โขare designed to fire overโ theโข heads of friendly forces to achieve effects on our adversary. We trust this system with our lives,” and โฃnoting its successful use in combat operations, โคincluding Syria.
Theโ incidentโค drew swift criticism โfrom Californiaโ Governor Gavin Newsom, who took to Xโค (formerly Twitter) to accuse formerโค President Donald Trump and โMarine Corps Commandant Gen. โEric vance, who was โobserving the demonstration, of recklessly endangering lives.โข “Thisโค could have killed someone,” Newsomโ statedโ in a post.
The โฃMarine Expeditionary Force Communication Strategy and Operations team released a statement to โฃFox Newsโ affirming that โคfiring was suspended following established safety protocolsโ and that an investigation is โunderway. “No injuries occurred, and the demonstration โconcludedโฃ as scheduled,” the โคstatement read. “We are committed toโ determining the incident’s root cause and โคapplying findings toโ futureโฃ missions.”
