A 29-year-old Los Angeles resident, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, has been charged with first-degree residential burglary and vandalism in connection with a break-in at the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. According to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, Hunter shattered a rear glass door to gain entry to the Getty House, the mayor’s official residence near downtown, early Sunday morning. Hunter allegedly sustained cuts from the glass, leaving blood stains throughout the home. Mayor Bass, her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were present at the time of the incident but were unharmed.
Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi stated that Hunter was able to reach the second floor of the residence during a brief gap in security officer coverage due to a shift change. This gap has since been addressed by creating an overlap in shifts. The Los Angeles Times reported that Hunter has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon following a 2015 incident in Massachusetts and served seven years in prison.
Josephine Duah, who identified herself as Hunter’s mother, claims he contacted her from jail on Monday and expressed his belief that he was being pursued by someone who intended to harm him. She added that her son intended to enter a drug treatment clinic on Monday but was unable to do so.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the break-in at former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home in October 2022, where her husband was attacked with a hammer. The Pelosi attack raised concerns about the security provided for members of Congress and their families, leading to the installation of a camera at the residence by the U.S. Capitol Police. However, the camera was not being monitored at the time of the attack due to Pelosi’s absence from home.
The arrest of Hunter has prompted questions about the security protocols in place at the residence of Mayor Bass. Her office and the Los Angeles Police Department have not yet responded to inquiries regarding these protocols.
