Intruder arrested for break-in at Getty House, official residence of Mayor Bass

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An intruder was arrested after breaking in to the Los Angeles mayor's official residence early Sunday morning, officials say.

The break-in was reported around 6:40 a.m. at the Getty House residence in Hancock Park, according to the office of Mayor Karen Bass.

"Mayor Bass and her family were not injured and are safe," according to a statement from Deputy Mayor Zach Seidl. "The Mayor is grateful to LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect."

LAPD officials say the intruder broke in through a glass door. LAPD officers responded and quickly took the suspect into custody without incident.

Sunday evening, LAPD identified the suspect as Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, of Los Angeles. He was booked for burglary. Records indicated he was being held on $100,000 bail.

Bass was home when the male intruder broke in, law enforcement officials told ABC News. An alarm was activated at the home and a large LAPD presence responded, including air support and the mayor's security detail. The suspect was arrested within minutes of the call.

No further details were available about whether the intruder was able to bypass security measures at the residence or whether he intentionally targeted the home because the mayor lives there.

Authorities also aren't saying if the suspect came into direct contact with the mayor.

Bass has been victimized by burglars at least one other time in the recent past, though not at the Getty House.

In 2022 when she was still a member of Congress and running for mayor, two men broke into her Baldwin Vista home and stole a pair of handguns. One man was sentenced to nearly two years behind bars and the other to almost three years.

Law enforcement expert Bruce Thomas told Eyewitness News the intruder's ability to get into the home raises questions about the security setup for the city's leader.

"Anytime you have a break in at a residence of note, in this case the mayor's residence or even just a very high-profile person, you kind of (question) is the security system up to snuff?" Thomas said.

He added he was surprised there wasn't a security guard or LAPD officer who detected the intruder before he was able to get inside the home, though he noted the LAPD's response to the alarm was apparently quick.

He said LAPD will likely have to file a detailed report on the incident, including re-examining existing security procedures and whether there were any systemic failures.

"Most of the break-ins that occur are done overnight, under cover of darkness," Thomas said. "To have someone break in during early morning hours is kind of surprising."

"Did this person have a beef with the mayor herself? Is there a message they wanted to send?"