Gavin Newsom is Lying and There Wasn’t an Explosion at Camp Pendleton

A day after an artillery demonstration at Camp Pendleton, California Highway Patrol Border Division Chief Tony Coronado in a press release claimed one of its patrol videos was hit by shrapnel. This supposedly justified Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shutdown of the 5 freeway and opposition to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marines Corps, which was attended by Vice President JD Vance. However, CHP is controlled by Newsom and faked the incident, which was then parroted as “truth” by local, state, and national media mouthpieces.

Background

Since 1942, Camp Pendleton has conducted live fire exercises and amphibious assaults for the U.S. Marines Corps. Pendleton is critical for the U.S. and its allies to deter and defend Taiwan against China in the Pacific.

On Saturday, October 18, 2025, Vice President JD Vance, a Marine and Iraq War veteran, attended a review of the Marines that included an artillery demonstration, for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marines Corps.

At 1:15 p.m., CHP closed I-5 between San Clemente and Oceanside at the direction of Gavin Newsom. At 1:46 p.m. four M777s fired four 155mm shells. CHP reported shrapnel on one of their vehicles, notified the Marines, who canceled further firings. No one else in attendance heard, saw, or felt a “premature detonation.” CHP swept the area between 1:46 p.m. to 2:20 p.m before reopening the 5.

On Sunday, October 19, 2025 – the next day – CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado in a press release – not a press conference – announced that two pieces of shrapnel hit a CHP vehicle. This was promoted by Newsom as justification for shutting down the 5.

Local and state media then single sourced CHP – whom Gavin Newsom controls – and ignored two basic questions: What was the intended impact point and what type of 155mm shell and fusing was used.

Point of Origin

Four M777 155mm Howitzers fired from Red Beach, west of the 5. Red Beach was selected because Marine air, land, and sea capabilities include amphibious assault. CHP was approximately 0.5 miles away on the opposite side of Las Floras Creek and on and behind a 60 foot bluff. Guests and press were similarly on the bluff. According to CHP, they reported shrapnel and cease fire at 1:46 p.m.

Point of Impact

The media never asked or reported what was the intended point of impact. CHP reported that they were in the middle of the southbound on-ramp at Las Pulgas Road, and it’s impossible for CHP to have been on the correct azimuth to be affected by shrapnel.

While the point of impact has not been released, there are a limited number of impact areas: Quebec, Whiskey, Zulu, X-Ray, Edson, and 409A. The one that matches what CHP reported is the Whiskey Impact Area.

Within Whiskey, terrain and decades of repeated impacts, further limit the direction the howitzers could have been pointed to two valleys that form a bowl. The logical place to store and drop artillery.

Point of Origin: Red Beach, Camp Pendleton. CHP’s reported position (Red) is off-azimuth to the Whiskey Impact Area (Green). A premature explosion would have been seen, heard, felt, and affected everyone attending the event, and damaged nearby structures.

Point of Impact: Whiskey Impact Area, Camp Pendleton. The intended Point of Impact has not been released, however official documentation, terrain, and historic impact points limit the area and excludes CHP’s reported position. Forward observers likely present.

Red indicates the line of bearing from the M777 howitzers to CHP and is beyond the direction of Whiskey or any impact area. Yellow is the line of bearing to the end of the southbound on-ramp, assuming CHP’s position was an approximate, and is almost entirely outside of any impact point within Whiskey. Green is the line of bearing to the center of Whiskey – the logical place to drop artillery for a ceremonial demonstration. There also would have been observers downrange counting impacts and monitoring effects.

155mm Artillery Shell

The media never asked or reported what types of 155mm artillery shells were used for the event. Artillery rounds have three basic components: casing, filling, and fuze. If it was the MR103 training round, it doesn’t have explosive filling, and obviously makes a premature detonation impossible.

The M107 high explosive round could also have been used. For it to prematurely detonate, the failure would likely be the fuse. However, everyone starting with the gun crews, would have seen, heard, and felt an explosion that could have sent shrapnel towards CHP. It would also have damaged the Las Pulgas access control point.

A 155mm artillery shell has a nominal weight of approximately 100 pounds. The shell casing doesn’t disappear after an explosion. CHP only showed two small fragments, less than a pound, of the 75 to 100 pounds of metal. CHP’s sweep and closure of the 5 was “only” 35 minutes for potential unexploded ordnance – and evidence. Major traffic accidents shut down freeways for hours.

There Was No Explosion

If this happened – which it didn’t – everyone starting with the gun crews would have seen, heard, and felt the premature explosion, louder, lower, and more powerful than any fireworks display at Disneyland. The gun crews, then the forward observers, would have been the first to end the event.

If this happened – which it didn’t – CHP and the Marines would have shut I-5 down longer than 35 minutes to recover the missing 75 to 100 pounds of shell fragments and unexploded ordnance. There would have been damage to the Las Pulgas access control point and an inspection of the tracks by the North County Transit District (Coaster), Amtrak, or the U.S. Department of Transportation.

If this happened – which it didn’t – it would have been news on Saturday, not Sunday, and it would have been a press conference. However, that would come with questions that require answers. CHP Border Division Chief Corondao [sic] didn’t even spell his name correctly in his press release.

If this happened – which it didn’t – Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat whose district includes Camp Pendleton, would have made a statement. Albeit it was a weekend and Levin has never shown any interest in Camp Pendleton.

If this happened – which it didn’t – Rep. Seth Moulton, a prominent Democrat, Marine, and Iraq War veteran, would have made a statement. However, Moulton is disfavored by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and isn’t going to destroy his credibility covering for Newsom.

If this happened – which it didn’t – there would be an investigation by the U.S. Marine Corps of the shell casing, filling, and fuze. These components have lot and serial numbers, and are made from the same facilities and stockpiles that the U.S. supplies Ukraine.

If this happened – which it didn’t – there would be an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service for potential sabotage and assasination attempt on Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

If this happened – which it didn’t – there would be an investigation by both the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committees in Congress. However, Newsom especially doesn’t want an investigation because nothing about his claim is credible and with complicit media mouthpieces that isn’t the point.

Why Newsom Lied

In 2017, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi bragged on CSPAN about the wrap-up-smear. Democrats launder something to the press, it’s repeated by the press, it becomes “true”, and Democrats repeat it back as “truth.”

Newsom ordered CHP to shutdown I-5, after his office tried to talk and launder the freeway closure into happening, through local, state, and national media. On the day of the event, CalTrans posted fear mongering notices up to at least Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, over 80 miles away.

Gov. Gavin Newsom needs this and every other lie to be “true” because Newsom’s presidential campaign is failing. The amount of “evidence” California Highway Patrol provided, which doesn’t include the patrol officer(s), body or vehicle camera footage, is less than a traffic ticket. There’s more “evidence” UFOs attacked Los Angeles in 1942, than Newsom’s lie that two pieces of shrapnel hit a CHP vehicle. Newsom is a lying, desperate, incompetent, fool – so are his media mouthpieces and anyone who believes them – and Newsom will never be President of the United States of America.