A 29-year-old Los Angeles resident, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, has been arrested and charged with burglary and vandalism in connection with a break-in at Mayor Karen Bass’s home last weekend. According to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, Hunter allegedly shattered a rear glass door early Sunday morning to gain entry to the Getty House, the mayor’s official residence near downtown. Gascón stated that Hunter cut himself on the glass, leaving blood stains throughout the home, where the mayor, her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were present at the time.
The mayor’s office has expressed relief that no one was injured, and Hunter is currently being held on $100,000 bail. The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, representing Hunter, has pledged to provide him with a thorough defense and investigate the circumstances leading to the accusations.
Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi revealed that Hunter reached the second floor of the home during the break-in, which occurred during a shift change when there were no security officers on the property. Choi stated that this gap has been addressed to ensure an overlap of shifts.
The Los Angeles Times, citing public records, reported that Hunter has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a 2015 incident in Massachusetts, for which he served seven years in state prison. Hunter’s mother, Josephine Duah, claimed that he contacted her from jail on Monday and expressed his belief that he entered the property because he felt threatened and did not know who owned the residence. Duah further stated that her son planned to enter a drug treatment clinic on Monday but was unable to do so.
The incident has raised concerns about security protocols for elected officials’ residences, particularly in light of the October 2022 break-in at former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home, during which her husband was attacked with a hammer. The Capitol Police had a camera at the Pelosi residence but were not monitoring it at the time of the assault as Nancy Pelosi was not home.
