What to Know
- An intruder broke into the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Sunday morning.
- LAPD identified the intruder as 29-year-old Ephrain Matthew Hunter of Los Angeles.
- Hunter was charged with burglary and vandalism Tuesday and could face 13 years in prison.
The burglar who broke a glass door to enter Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' official residence, and roamed around inside before being arrested, slipped inside when there were no security officers on the premises, the LAPD's chief said Tuesday.
"This happened so quickly that even if somebody had been there, he probably still would have been able to access inside the residence," Chief Dominic Choi said of the speed of the burglar's entry.
The man arrested, 29-year-old Ephraim Matthew Hunter, was charged Tuesday with with residential burglary and vandalism, both felonies, along with enhancements alleging Hunter was previously convicted of a serious crime.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said he believes Hunter specifically targeted the Mayor's home, and said Bass, her daughter, her son-in-law, and her grandchild were inside at the time.
"There were actions while he was inside of the property that are consistent with the fact that he knew that this was the, Mayor's home, and that he was looking for her," Gascon said.
Hunter made an initial appearance in LA Superior Court Tuesday afternoon and the judge entered pleas of not guilty.
A public defender unsuccessfully argued for his release prior to trial, and told the court Hunter has been living in LA for the last 10 months, and was working for a non-profit as a 'canvasser.'
Prosecutors said Hunter cut himself while, "crashing," through a glass door, and left blood on the doorknobs of bedrooms he tried to enter.
After he was told to leave, authorities said in court Hunter began calling the first name of one of the home's occupants.
LAPD Chief Choi explained that the break-in, which happened Sunday around 6:45 a.m., took place after an overnight shift for a security guard, but before the mayor's protective detail of LAPD officers arrived for the day.
"Let's define the gap as when somebody is not physically on the property," Choi said. "There was a gap that morning, and that issue has been remedied."
“Mayor Bass and her family were not injured and are safe,” Zach Seidl, Deputy Mayor of Communications, said in a statement . "The Mayor is grateful to LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect.”
LAPD said officers immediately responded to the house's alarm and as first responders opened the door, they encountered a man inside.
Police identified the intruder as 29-year-old Ephraim Matthew Hunter of Los Angeles. He was booked on suspicion of burglary and is being held on $100,000 bail. It is unclear if Hunter has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Norfolk County, Massachusetts prosecutors confirmed that the man under arrest was previously sentenced to 5 to 7 years in prison in Massachusetts in an assault case. Hunter pleaded not guilty to, but was later convicted of, attempted murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, possession of a class A drug (heroin) and armed robbery in the March 2015 crime.
Weapons used in the assault in an apartment parking lot included a hammer and snow brush, according to prosecutors.
Hunter was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail and the judge ordered him to stay away from Getty House and the Mayor.
Gascon said if Hunter was convicted on both charges and the enhancement he could face up to 13 years, 4 months in prison.
