A patrol vehicle was hit by shrapnel when Marines fired live artillery on a California interstate, the Highway Patrol said.

SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps has launched an investigation after the California Highway Patrol said fragments from an artillery shell, fired during a live-fire demonstration promoted by the White House, struck a law enforcement vehicle.

No injuries were reported when an artillery shell exploded prematurely overhead during the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration at Camp Pendleton on Saturday, the Highway Patrol said.

But at least one of the patrol vehicles, which was on hand to help stop and divert traffic on Interstate 5 through the base during the demonstration, sustained damage, the Highway Patrol said in a statement Sunday.

“This was an unusual and troubling situation,” CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado, who also identified himself as a Marine, said in the statement. “It is unusual for any training activity with live ammunition or explosives to occur on an active highway.”

Capt. Gregory Dreibelbeis, a spokesman for 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a statement Sunday that officials are “aware of the report indicating a 155 mm artillery shell may have exploded from the air outside the designated area of ​​impact” during the Marine Corps’ amphibious capabilities demonstration on Saturday.

Photos from the CHP incident report show a black-and-white unit with a hood apparently pierced by shrapnel, as well as multiple ammunition fragments. The report indicated that the size of the piece on the hood is approximately 2 inches by 2 inches. According to a CHP map, the vehicle was on Interstate 5 and Las Pulgas Road, about a mile north of the Red Beach demonstration along the north coast of San Diego County, when it was struck.

The motorcycle officer also found shrapnel measuring about one inch by half an inch near his own vehicle, the report said.

The CHP said the strike occurred while officers were temporarily stopping traffic on the highway so that motorists would not be harmed during the demonstration.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the plan to fire live ammunition over the interstate in the days leading up to Saturday’s ceremonies, which were attended by Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spoke at the event.

Newsom, a Democrat who has repeatedly sparred with the Trump administration, had criticized the potential impact of the temporary closure of Interstate 5, which has a capacity of 80,000 vehicles per day, and said that state authorities had been denied adequate notice of the “dangerous and ridiculous show of force.”

“This could have killed someone,” Newsom said He said Sunday on X.

Asked about the response to the CHP’s report of falling shrapnel, Newsom’s spokeswoman Diana Crofts Pelayo also pointed out Posting on X account To the Governor’s Office: “We love our Marines and are grateful to Camp Pendleton, but next time, the Vice President and the White House shouldn’t be so reckless with people’s lives because of their vanity projects.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

In the run-up to Saturday’s celebrations, officials within the Trump administration described complaints about the live-fire demonstrations and resulting highway closures as an overreaction.

“Gavin Newsom wants people to think this exercise is dangerous,” said William Martin, Vance’s director of communications. Statement to the New York Times. “The Marine Corps says it’s an established, safe practice. Newsom wants people to think this is a ridiculous show of force. The Marine Corps says it’s part of routine training at Camp Pendleton.”

Dreibelbeis, the Marine Corps spokesman, said safety protocols were adhered to.

“The demonstration underwent rigorous safety assessment and deliberate layers of repetition to ensure the safety of citizens,” he said, adding that live shooting had been suspended on Saturday in accordance with safety protocols.

The CHP said it wants to conduct a review and establish better communications with federal officials. The Marine Corps has launched an investigation and wants to learn from the incident as well, Dreibelbeis said.

“We are committed to identifying the root cause of the incident and applying the findings to future missions,” he added.