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 freeway
No intention of closing the freeway for a live fire exercise right above it.
It hit and damaged JD Vance’s security detail motorcade.
Like, either this was a stupendous coincidence that a shell went bad and purely accidentally just happened to detonate just so as to literally rain on Vance’s motorcade…
… or… this was a kind of not so subtle fuck you buddy from at least one Marine.
A 155-millimeter shell fired during a live-fire demonstration for the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton on Saturday prematurely detonated, dropping fragments of the shell on a California Highway Patrol vehicle and motorcycle that were part of Vice President JD Vance’s protective detail, according to a patrol report.
Yep, thats right, it gets even clownier with more detail.
EDIT:
Ok, this gets even more deepfried clownicized.
So…from seeing more articles with more pictures, I think what happened is this:
Marines do a mock amphib landing on a beach to the west of I5.
From there, they set up mobile 155mm cannons, on the beach… and aim their shots at some part of Camp Pendleton that I guess was cleared off as a … firing range? Howitzer absorbant sponge zone?
So… yeah, fired from a beach, up and over a cliff, over I5, headed something like east, to land inside some part of Pendleton.
…Does… Pendleton have a preexisting artillery range?
No intention of closing the freeway for a live fire exercise right above it.
During the No Kings protest too
Not only did shrapnel fall on I5 generally…
It hit and damaged JD Vance’s security detail motorcade.
Like, either this was a stupendous coincidence that a shell went bad and purely accidentally just happened to detonate just so as to literally rain on Vance’s motorcade…
… or… this was a kind of not so subtle fuck you buddy from at least one Marine.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/us/politics/shell-interstate-5-marines-california.html
Yep, thats right, it gets even clownier with more detail.
EDIT:
Ok, this gets even more deepfried clownicized.
So…from seeing more articles with more pictures, I think what happened is this:
Marines do a mock amphib landing on a beach to the west of I5.
From there, they set up mobile 155mm cannons, on the beach… and aim their shots at some part of Camp Pendleton that I guess was cleared off as a … firing range? Howitzer absorbant sponge zone?
So… yeah, fired from a beach, up and over a cliff, over I5, headed something like east, to land inside some part of Pendleton.
…Does… Pendleton have a preexisting artillery range?
Pendleton covers almost 200 square miles and has ranges for just about every ground-based weapon the USMC uses.
Ok, thanks for that, did not know.