How military's live fire over I-5 went awry

Shrapnel falling on freeway at Camp Pendleton confirms state officials' fears.

- BY RONG-GONG LIN II, HANNAH FRY AND MELODY GUTIERREZ

OLIVER CONTRERAS AFP via Getty Images U.S. MARINES show amphibious capabilities Saturday at Camp Pendleton as Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visit.

It was supposed to be a boisterous event at Camp Pendleton celebrating 250 years of the U.S. Marine Corps that included a live simulation of a beach assault by sea and air.

The plan involved Marines firing high explosive rounds from M777 howitzers — artillery used to launch shells in wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine — into designated ranges. Federal officials last week insisted it would be done with "all safety precautions in place" and said no public highways would be closed.

But California officials last week expressed fears about those live rounds being fired over Interstate 5, which runs between the beach where the “landing” was taking place and the rest of the sprawling military installation.

Then, on Friday evening, the Marines did a test run, firing artillery rounds over I-5, according to the governor’s office — while motorists drove on the freeway. The California Department of Transportation captured the live fire on video.

Early Saturday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the closure that day of a 17-mile stretch of the interstate — from just south of San Clemente to just north of Oceanside-during the event, which an estimated 15,000 attended and included a speech by Vice President JD Vance.

Now, the California Highway Patrol is reporting that a CHP cruiser parked on an onramp of Interstate 5 was hit by falling shrapnel after an artillery round exploded midair, far earlier than intended, forcing an early end to the artillery demonstration. Although no one was hurt, the revelations raised new questions about safety issues and whether it was wise to fire live munitions over a freeway.