Two men were spotted in the bushes just outside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ official residence, the Getty House, in Windsor Square Tuesday night, less than three months after a man was arrested for burglarizing the home while Bass and members of her family were unguarded and sleeping inside, several law enforcement sources told NBC News.
Officers from the LAPD Olympic Station were dispatched to the rear of the Getty House property “code-3,” with lights and sirens, around 10:15 p.m. after the men were observed on security video, the sources said.
Both were dressed in dark clothing, crouched behind hedges, while one of them was carrying a backpack, according to an initial report.
"Security at the Getty House observed two individuals lingering on the perimeter," the LAPD confirmed Thursday. "They requested an Olympic unit to respond and inquire their business near the property."
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There was no crime and no nexus to the property, the police added.
"The two individuals were completely unrelated and asked to leave," the LAPD said.
LAPD Chief Dominic Choi told the I-Team in April that security would be tightened at the home after a man described as a transient experiencing mental health difficulties, smashed a window and entered the Getty residence.
Ephraim Hunter, 29, was arrested April 21 and charged with vandalism and burglary. He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail while awaiting trial, according to court and jail records.
The Mayor's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Burglary at Mayor Karen Bass' Official Residence
Choi said in April that the Hunter burglary happened during a gap in security at the Getty House property when there were no guards or LAPD officers on site.
"There was a short gap there and that's when that incident occurred," Choi said. "That gap has been remedied. We've created an overlap."
Law enforcement officials told the I-Team that the LAPD increased security following the April burglary, and at one point had officers working 12-hour shifts to provide a constant presence on the property, but it was unclear if the added measures were in place Tuesday night.
