A member of Vice President JD Vance’s security team was struck by shrapnel after a 155-millimeter shell prematurely detonated during a Marine Corps event at Camp Pendleton, California, The New York Times reported.
The explosion scattered fragments onto a motorcycle in Vance’s motorcade and a Highway Patrol vehicle. The California Highway Patrol confirmed metal shrapnel from an explosive device fired over Interstate 5 detonated in the air above the highway.
“This was an unusual and concerning situation,” CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado said. “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway. As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them.”
The Marine Corps halted firing and launched an investigation after the Camp Pendleton incident, though no injuries were reported.
“The demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” the Corps said in a statement. “We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions.”
Vance attended the Marines’ 250th anniversary event featuring a large-scale live artillery demo, where he reflected on his service, criticized the Democrat-led government shutdown, and denounced past military diversity efforts. The display, the Marines said, was their largest stateside in a decade, featuring jets, Navy ships, helicopters, and howitzer fire.
The vice president, who spoke in front of hundreds of Marines, praised his time in the military: “I would not be here today, I would not be the vice president of the United States, I would not be the man I am today were it not for those four years that I served in the Marine Corps.”
Vance had spent four years in the Marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2005.
