A 29-year-old man identified as Ephraim Matthew Hunter has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into the Getty House, the official home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, early Sunday morning.
The Los Angeles Police Department alleges that the suspect gained entrance into the home around 6:40 a.m. by smashing in one of the home’s glass windows. “It’s got a fence, a gate, all the way around,” neighbor Jud Grubbs told KTLA 5. “I’m sure there are cameras, and there’s usually a lot of presence around the house.”
CBS News reported that LAPD Lt. James Mylonakis stated, “At some point, the individual made his way through the house, an alarm was activated by the residents in location, officers from our Olympic Station responded, and they managed to take the suspect into custody without incident.” A statement from the Mayor’s office confirmed that everyone inside the home during the break-in was safe, although the motive behind the incident remains under investigation by LAPD Robbery and Homicide detectives.
Hunter, who was previously sentenced to prison for a 2015 kidnapping and attempted murder case in Massachusetts, has been booked for burglary and is being held on $100,000 bail.
The Getty House, located in Hancock Park’s Windsor Square district, has served as the official home of the Los Angeles Mayor since 1977. Bass and her family have resided there since early 2023, following her appointment to the seat.
As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Bass’s Baldwin Vista residence was burglarized in 2022, resulting in the theft of two legally owned firearms that Bass had purchased for protection years prior to the break-in. This incident occurred months after a mayoral debate where Bass expressed feeling “10 out of 10 safe” roaming the high-crime Los Angeles streets. Crime has been a focal issue for Bass since becoming the first woman to lead the nation’s second-largest city.
“The people of Los Angeles have sent a clear message: It is time for a change, and it is time for urgency,” she said in a 2022 statement, reiterating her commitment to “hit the ground running” on the issue.