LA mayor’s break-in suspect arrested
Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt reports on the man’s criminal history before the alleged break-in.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' German shepherd helped delay and scare a home intruder who breached her Windsor Park mansion during a security shift change in late April, according to a report.
The trespasser, identified as 29-year-old Ephraim Hunter, left a trail of blood after bashing a glass door and screaming "Karen!" multiple times as he attempted to access several bedrooms on April 22 before police detained him, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Another law enforcement source told the LA Times responding officers believed Hunter was high on methamphetamine during the incident.
Interim Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi told the outlet that no officers were on the property during the break-in. Choi said a routine shift change in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) security plan schedule had led to a gap in protection.
LOS ANGELES SUSPECT WHO 'TARGETED' MAYOR'S HOUSE HAD TROUBLED PAST, DAD SAYS
Police patrol Getty House, the official residence of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, where a man was taken into custody for allegedly smashing a glass door and breaking into her home on Monday, April 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Robert Gauthier/Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
While Bass waited for LAPD to arrive, her German shepherd Stax successfully interrupted Hunter and delayed him from breaking into a set of bedrooms on the mansion's second floor. The dog allegedly did not bite the intruder.
Following the break-in, District Attorney George Gascón told the press that prosecutors believed Hunter was specifically targeting Bass, who was at home with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchild at the time.
"We believe that he was targeting the mayor, but this is an ongoing investigation," Gascón said, adding that "there were actions while he was inside the property that are consistent with the fact that he knew this was the mayor's home, and that he was looking for her."
2 SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH BURGLARY AT REP. KAREN BASS' HOME: POLICE
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks during a press conference at the start of the annual homeless count in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
However, a high-level LAPD official said investigators were confused by Gascón's claim and suggested he was perhaps privy to details the investigators did not have.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Hunter was held on $100,000 bail and faces two felony charges of residential burglary with people present and vandalism. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 13 years in prison.
He is due back in court June 3.
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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.