A live artillery shell exploded prematurely during a marines live-fire demonstration that launched over a southern California freeway in celebration of the military branch’s 250th anniversary, raining shrapnel down on a California Highway Patrol vehicle and a motorcycle that was part of JD Vance’s detail, according to a police report.
The New York Times reported that fragments that fell from the 155mm shell landed on vehicles parked on a ramp on Interstate 5 – a major artery through southern California – which governor Gavin Newsom had ordered closed after learning that military officials had no plans to close the freewhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/19/california-marines-explosion-freeway-jd-vanceay.
Vance, a Republican and former enlisted marine who served in Iraq, visited the base in north San Diego county with defense secretary Pete Hegseth to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary and watch troops put on a show of amphibious vehicles and marines demonstrating a beach assault.
An officer described hearing something that sounded like pebbles hit his motorcycle and the area around him, according to the patrol report. Others saw a 2in (5cm) piece of shrapnel hit the hood of a patrol vehicle and leave a small dent. The report says shrapnel was also found on the road near the motorcycle.
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