California Highway Patrol officials say that a patrol vehicle was struck by shrapnel from an artillery round that was fired during Saturday's live-fire event at Camp Pendleton to celebrate the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th anniversary.

The metal shrapnel came from an "explosive ordnance fired over the Interstate 5 freeway" that had "detonated overhead prematurely," CHP said in a news release. The falling piece of shrapnel damaged the patrol vehicle just after 1:45 p.m., CHP said.

A photo of the metal shrapnel from a prematurely detonated military ordnance that struck a CHP patrol car near Camp Pendleton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. California Highway Patrol

"The incident happened in an area where CHP officers were supporting a traffic break along I-5 near Camp Pendleton during an excep

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