A live-fire mishap that caused metal shrapnel to damage a patrol vehicle while Vice President Vance was visiting a California military base is facing intense scrutiny from officials who question how the unusual incident was allowed to happen.

The premature detonation of a 155 mm artillery as Camp Pendleton celebrated 250 years of the U.S. Marine Corps — part of a live simulation of a beach assault by sea and air — caused shrapnel to fall over the Interstate 5 freeway and dented a California Highway Patrol (CHP) car parked on an onramp. The incident has since been labelled by the CHP Border Division as an “unusual and concerning situation.”

The accident has raised questions as to whether the U.S. military correctly coordinated with state and local officials ahead of the ceremony and wheth

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