Shrapnel hits cars on California highway during Marine Corps celebration

Shards from artillery shells that exploded during celebrations honoring the U.S. Marine Corps hit at least two vehicles on a California highway Saturday, officials said.

The event, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, was attended by Vice President JD Vance and included live ammunition. The California Highway Patrol said one “exploded prematurely overhead” and struck two vehicles that were part of Vance’s protection team.

It came as state officials and the White House argued over the decision to close part of Interstate 5 for the event in Southern California.

“Firing live ammunition on a busy highway is not only wrong, it’s dangerous,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

The Highway Patrol said no injuries were reported and notified the Marine Corps, which then called off any further ammunition firing.

“This is an unusual and concerning situation,” Border Division Chief Tony Coronado said in a statement, adding that such drills are not common on an active highway.

Newsom said he closed a section of Interstate 5 “due to extreme risk to life safety and driver distraction, including sudden, unexpected and loud explosions.”

But before realizing the incident, officials in the vice president’s office had disputed the dangerous nature of the demonstration and accused the California governor of trying to stoke fears.

The BBC contacted the White House and the vice president’s office about the shrapnel incident.

“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose training exercises that ensure our armed forces are the deadliest and deadliest fighting force in the world, then he can move forward,” William Martin, Vance’s communications director, told CNN before news of the incident emerged.

“It would not be surprising if he stoops so low given his pathetic record of failure as governor.”

Newsom responded to the military incident by stating that “Donald Trump and JD Vance put lives at risk to put on a show.” He added that if they wanted to honor the troops, they should work to reopen the federal government, which ran out of funding in early October.

The First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton said in a statement that it was aware of the incident involving a 155-millimeter round fired during the event and that an investigation was underway.

“The demonstration underwent a rigorous security assessment and several deliberate levels of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” the statement said.

“In accordance with established security protocols, shooting was suspended. No injuries were reported and the demonstration ended as planned.”

In a police report, California Highway officers said the two damaged vehicles, which were used in Vance’s response, were then dispatched to guard the highway and keep it closed during the event.

Officers wrote in a report that they saw the artillery shell fail to clear the highway and explode near the southbound lanes.

One of the officers said rocks were raining down on his patrol motorcycle. Several pieces of shrapnel were found, including one that dented the hood of a patrol car.

The demonstration was the largest in a decade in the continental United States, the Marines said, and involved fighter jets, Navy ships, helicopters and live fire from a towed howitzer.

During his remarks to hundreds of Marines, Vance recalled his time on the force, denounced the government shutdown and criticized previous military diversity initiatives.

“I would not be here today, I would not be vice president of the United States, I would not be the man I am today without those four years that I spent in the Marine Corps,” he said.

Vance spent four years in the Marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2005.

But his remarks focused largely on politics, and he partly attacked the “woke” aspects of the military.

“It’s our common goal, it’s our common mission and it’s the fact that every single person here bleeds the green of the Marine Corps,” he said.

One of the Trump administration’s priorities has been to eliminate diversity initiatives, particularly within the Pentagon.

Vance also used his time on stage to denounce the government shutdown that lasted nearly three weeks and place the blame on Democrats, particularly Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I bring you greetings today from our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump, and he wanted me to tell each and every one of you that he is proud of you, that he loves you, and that despite Schumer’s shutdown, he will do everything he can to make sure you get paid exactly what you deserve,” he said.

While thousands of federal workers work without pay, the Department of Defense is paying soldiers.