A police vehicle was accidentally hit in California by shrapnel from an artillery shell fired during a military demonstration marking the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps attended by US Vice President JD Vance, police said on Monday, October 20.
The incident, which took place on Saturday, did not cause any injuries, the traffic police said in a press release. The projectile “exploded prematurely in mid-flight.” “This is an unusual and worrying situation,” said Tony Coronado, one of the highway police chiefs, adding that it is “extremely rare for training activities involving live ammunition or explosives to take place on an active highway.”
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, had criticized the live-fire demonstration in the days leading up to the event, which led to the closure of a 17-mile stretch of highway linking Los Angeles to San Diego.
The accident “could have killed someone”
Gavin Newsom, critic of Donald Trump and candidate for the White House in 2028, declared in X that the accident “could have killed someone.” The Marine Corps, which had previously assured that there was no risk to the public, also opened an investigation into the incident, according to NBC News.
Exercises to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps included fighter flyovers, the use of amphibious ships, explosions in a simulated village and members of the Navy Seals special forces falling into the Pacific Ocean from helicopters.
Source: BFM TV
