Incident During Vice President’s Visit at Camp Pendleton

A recent report from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) sheds light on a live-fire incident that took place near Camp Pendleton. This event occurred during Vice President J.D. Vance’s attendance at the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration.

The timing was noted as 1:46 p.m., when a 155-millimeter shell discharged from Whites Beach, located around three-quarters of a mile south of Las Pargas Road, and detonated above Interstate 5.

CHP had already temporarily closed part of the highway to facilitate the event when fragments began to fall from the sky.

“The explosion caused small metal shards to rain down onto the closed highway,” the report mentions. “A few of these fragments hit the CHP patrol vehicle, leaving a small dent and some scratches.”

CHP officers Felix and Vizcarra said they heard what sounded like “pebbles falling” around them.

No injuries were reported, yet investigators managed to recover two pieces of debris, measuring about 1 to 2 inches each.

Roughly nine minutes later, CHP Sgt. Maxon and Yniguez performed a safety sweep of both northbound and southbound lanes, but found “no additional debris or hazardous materials” present.

According to reports, the expressway has reopened following the incident.

The border agency described the occurrence as an “unusual and alarming incident,” prompting them to call for a formal investigation to improve communication and coordination among federal, state, and local agencies for future off-road demonstrations and training activities.

Officials from Camp Pendleton have stated they will also look into what they referred to as a “possible mid-air explosion of a 155mm shell outside the designated impact area.”