Camp Pendleton briefly closed its main gate after a car tried to breach it

The vehicle was disabled and occupants taken to a nearby hospital.

By Nicholas Slayton | Published Jan 28, 2023 12:37 PM EST

News

U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton closed the base’s main gate Friday evening after a car rammed it in an attempt to get onto the base.

The incident happened at 6:30 p.m. on Jan 27. The Marine Corps confirmed that someone attempted to “gain unauthorized access to the installation.”

“The MCB Camp Pendleton Provost Marshall Office deployed the final denial barriers and disabled the vehicle,” base staff tweeted at 8:39 p.m.

We can confirm at approximately 6:30 p.m. there was an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the installation. The MCB Camp Pendleton Provost Marshall Office deployed the final denial barriers and disabled the vehicle. We will provide further information when available.
— Camp Pendleton (@MCIWPendletonCA) January 28, 2023

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It’s not clear how many people were in the car or what the motive was for trying to breach the base. Video posted to social media and the Marine Corps subreddit show a sedan on fire, its front end heavily damaged from impact with raised barriers. Law enforcement was on the scene. 1st Lt. Taylor Schrick, a spokesperson for the base, confirmed the car caught fire and told Task & Purpose that the car’s occupants were taken to Palomar Hospital. The incident is under investigation.

The main gate reopened later Friday night after base security resolved the issue.

Camp Pendleton told Task & Purpose that any updates would be posted to the base’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

The massive 125,000-acre base spans across much of North San Diego County in Southern California and is the Marine Corps main installation on the Pacific Coast. The base is home to the 47,000-strong 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

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Nicholas Slayton

Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. Contact the author here.

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Marine Corps