5 Freeway closure for live ammunition event at Camp Pendleton causes weekend gridlock

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (KABC) — A massive celebration at Camp Pendleton marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps caused a significant roadblock on a major Southern California freeway on Saturday.

After a lot of back and forth this week, state transportation leaders ultimately decided that the busy 5 Freeway needed to be shut down near Camp Pendleton for several hours on Saturday for public safety reasons.

Traffic came to a standstill, and Amtrak train service was also stopped during a live-fire demonstration at the military base. The shutdown mainly caught travelers by surprise.

The California Highway Patrol closed a 17-mile stretch of the 5 Freeway in both directions for periods of time between San Clemente and Oceanside.

Eyewitness News Reporter Elena Gomez got stuck in the backup herself and caught up with some of the stranded travelers.

“I was coming from San Diego, and then all of a sudden they started closing lanes,” said Santa Ana resident Cesar Romero.

The 5 Freeway was closed in both directions from Harbor Drive in Oceanside to Basilone Road just south of San Clemente.

The celebration included a military exercise using live artillery fire, which was the reason behind the freeway closure.

Outrage grew after the Trump administration said the Marine Corps would be firing live ammunition during the demonstration on Saturday and was considering shutting down a stretch of the 5 Freeway by the base.

On Thursday, the Marines said the celebration would not shut down the freeway.

But the state was asked Friday to put signage along the freeway that read “Overhead fire in progress,” according to a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Early Saturday morning, the federal government informed the state that the live fire activities were scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Due to the safety risk and distractions to drivers, the CHP made the call to temporarily shut down the freeway.

Over 80,000 travelers and $94 million in freight travel the freeway every day, according to Newsom’s office.

“There was also really cool planes and helicopters, and it was fun to watch, but not fun to be in the traffic,” said San Diego resident Aiza.

CHP announced the closure at 6 a.m. Saturday on social media. Most of the drivers who spoke to Eyewitness News had no idea of the closure, creating extra time on the road for many who didn’t know to plan ahead.

“I wasn’t prepared for it. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t look at the freeway before I went,” Romero said.

“I always anticipate traffic in that area, so I usually load up the podcasts and like, I have all my drinks ready to go. But yeah, my phone started losing connection and I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to suck,’ and then stopped, like standstill traffic,” said Echo Park resident Victoria Hempe.

Newsom responded to the freeway closure with the following:

“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety. Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds. Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”

AIR7 captured video of the miles of traffic from above.

Around 1 p.m., some on-ramps started reopening southbound, yet the traffic was still backed up as drivers inched closer to Camp Pendleton.

“To go around, to take the freeway 15 south, is three hours,” said East Los Angeles resident Andres Moreno.

Some drivers decided to wait it out in San Clemente until the Camp Pendleton event was over at 3 p.m. instead of taking the long detour south.

“I was gonna take the 15 and the 91, but that’s just another two hours, another 150 miles to spend on gas, I was like, I might as well go to In-N-Out,” Hempe said.

Traffic cleared by about 3 p.m.

Eyewitness News Anchor Marc Brown said he got stuck in the traffic and ended up taking the 15 Freeway. In total, he said it was a five-hour delay.

Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were both on hand for the live-fire amphibious display at Camp Pendleton.

Video shows a look at some of the air and sea exercises coordinated between the Marines and U.S. Navy.

Vance had an up-close view as Marines and sailors demonstrated our nation’s readiness across air, land and sea.

Later, he took the stage, talking about his service in the Marines and sharing a message from President Donald Trump.

“And he wanted me to tell each and every single one of you that he’s proud of you, that he loves you, and that despite the Schumer shutdown, he’s going to do everything he can to make sure you get paid exactly as you deserve,” Vance said.

Hegseth also spoke, congratulating the Marines on their military preparedness and strength.

The Navy turned 250 on Monday. The Marine Corps’ actual birthday is on Nov. 10.