Man arrested for breaking into LA Mayor’s home while she was there with family

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was unharmed as an intruder broke into her official residence while she was at home with her family, say police.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced that Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, had been taken into custody, following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He was charged with burglary after breaking into Getty House, the LA mayor’s official residence on Irving Boulevard.

“Around 6:40 AM this morning an individual smashed a window to gain entry into the Getty House while occupied,” the LAPD said in a statement on social media, adding that police responded and took a suspect into custody without incident.

None of the occupants of the building were injured, the statement said.

In a later post, the LAPD identified the suspect as Mr Hunter, a resident of Los Angeles, saying that he had been booked for 459 PC-Burglary – a felony charge.

It was unclear how he had managed to get past security at the residence. He is being held on a $100,000 bail bond, according to LA County jail records.

The LAPD told The Independent that the investigation was ongoing, but no further information was available as of Monday morning.

Ms Bass served as a Democratic member of Congress from 2011 until her election as the city’s 43rd mayor in 2022. She is the first woman and second Black person to hold the post, after former Mayor Tom Bradley, who held the position from 1973 to 1993.

“Mayor Bass and her family were not injured and are safe. The Mayor is grateful to LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect," her office said in a statement, following the incident.