Police stepped up patrols around the home of Mayor Karen Bass Monday after a man was taken into custody for allegedly smashing a glass door and breaking into the residence.
According to the mayor’s office, the break-in occurred at 6:40 a.m. Sunday at Getty House, 605 S. Irving Blvd. in the Windsor Square neighborhood. Bass and her family were safe and unharmed.
Getty House is the official residence of the city’s mayor.
The LAPD confirmed that the suspect broke a glass door while Bass and her family were inside, triggering an alarm that alerted police. Officers responded immediately and located and arrested a man at the scene without incident.
Bass, speaking to reporters during a budget briefing Monday morning, again thanked officers for their quick response.
“I just want to thank the Los Angeles Police Department again for responding to the incident at the Getty House yesterday,” Bass said. “Investigations are ongoing, so I won’t have any further comment at this moment. But again, I want to thank the Los Angeles Police Department for their work.”
The Los Angeles Times, citing court records, reported that the suspect — whom they identified as Ephraim Hunter — was previously charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in Massachusetts.
Hunter, 29, of Los Angeles, was booked on suspicion of burglary Sunday afternoon, and was being held on $100,000 bail, according to The Times and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jail records.
The case has yet to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and the matter is being investigated by the LAPD’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division, The Times reported.
The Times also reported that Hunter “made it to the second floor of the home, causing Bass to hide in a safe area designed to protect against intruders, akin to a panic room.”
It was unclear if Bass was targeted or if the break-in was simply a random crime. A possible motive was not yet clear. It was not disclosed whether any weapons were recovered.