los angeles — A “one in a million” malfunction during a Live ammunition demonstration A US Marine Corps investigation concluded that the bombing of Camp Pendleton last October led to a fire misfire that rained shrapnel onto Interstate 5, hitting two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
An artillery shell exploded over the highway that serves as the main corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego during a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, attended by Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. No one was injured, and investigators ruled out any negligence or error on the part of corps members.
The day before the event, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called the planned demonstration with live artillery dangerous and unnecessary, and ordered I-5 closed during it. This closure sparked condemnation from the White House and other Republicans, and the US Marine Corps announced these exercises Will not endanger motorists.
In a 666-page report dated Dec. 19 and first published Monday, the Marine Corps concluded that “there is no definitive answer” as to why an M795 high-explosive round exploded early at an altitude of about 1,480 feet (450 meters) during the Oct. 18 demonstration. Such an early detonation “exceeds reasonable expectations and should not have happened, but it did,” the report says.
“It is manufactured to withstand a one-in-a-million defect,” according to the report.
Organizers planned to fire 60 rounds of live artillery in 5 minutes on the highway, using six howitzers, according to the report. But the report stated that one of the first shots failed and exploded prematurely, and the rest of the demonstration was cancelled.
Days after the recess, 26 members of the US House of Representatives in California and two state senators were killed I sent a message To Hegseth asks who decided to fire live artillery on the highway and how authorities prepared for the safety risks.
“We are grateful to the Marines for their thorough and thorough investigation — in stark contrast to the dangerous and reckless demands made by J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth to fire live ammunition into a civilian entertainment district,” Diana Crofts Pelayo, a spokeswoman for Newsom’s office, said in an email Tuesday.
Newsom announced the highway closure in A statement After launching the training rounds the day before the celebration. The governor described the live ammunition training as a show of force aimed at intimidating Trump’s opponents, thousands of whom demonstrated in… “No Kings” protests. In and around San Diego that day.
“Firing live ammunition on a busy highway is not only wrong, it is dangerous,” Newsom wrote at the time.
The Marine Corps report concluded that several factors could have contributed to the malfunction, including the howitzers being close together when fired and “the potential presence of anomalous electromagnetic energy in the vicinity.”
“What was different than thousands of times before this event, where the same missile fuze assembly, weapons system, and highly trained Marines were used? There is no definitive answer,” the report said.
The event at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton featured aircraft, ships and amphibious assault vehicles to mark the anniversary.
“It’s going to be a good show no matter who shows up,” Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps, said in an Oct. 14 email to Brig. Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine Corps commandant. Gen. Garrett “Reneman” Hoffman, of the White House Military Office, according to the investigation.
The first round was fired at 1:46 p.m. from an M777 howitzer on the beach west of Interstate 5. That artillery shell exploded mid-flight near southbound I-5, sending shrapnel flying toward a CHP motorcycle and another unmanned patrol vehicle, according to the CHP report. The vehicles were part of Vance’s protective service detail and were waiting near the highway ramp after safely getting Vance to where he was needed, the report said.
One officer described hearing what sounded like “gravel” falling on his motorcycle, and finding shrapnel nearby. Other fragments hit and caused a dent in the hood of another patrol car.
CHP sergeants conducted a security inspection and did not find any other metal pieces in the express lanes, the report said. Both sides of the highway were reopened about 30 minutes later.
Several people interviewed in the Marine Corps investigation said they would not have changed anything about the event. Some noted that the previous day’s drills had been unproblematic and routine safety checks were performed more often than usual.
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Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.