A 29-year-old man accused of breaking into the mansion of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and forcing her to flee into a safe room pleaded no contest Wednesday to a felony vandalism charge as prosecutors dismissed a more serious charge of burglary charges.
Ephraim Hunter was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Amenui Amy Ashwanian ordered Hunter to undergo drug treatment and stay away from Bath, the mayor’s mansion and Los Angeles City Hall for three years.
The early-morning incident in April exposed security flaws at Getty House, the official mayoral residence in Windsor Square, and raised questions about whether Hunt deliberately targeted Bass. Hunter’s family insists he was in an apparent drug-induced psychotic state on April 21, did not know where he was and did not take anything there.
Bass spokesman Zach Seidel declined to comment on the plea agreement.
Hunter’s acting deputy public defender Howard Stern said his client was “satisfied” with the resolution of the case.
“He looks forward to working hard in recovery, turning his life around and becoming a success story,” Stern said in an email.
Hunter was originally charged with first-degree burglary and vandalism, both felonies, which carry a possible maximum sentence of 13 years and four months in prison. As part of his plea agreement, he also admitted to a previous strike stemming from a 2016 robbery in Massachusetts.
Days after Hunter was arrested on April 21, the Los Angeles County Police Department. Atty. George Gascón told reporters he believed Hunter was specifically targeting Bass, who lived at the home with her daughter, son-in-law and grandson.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Chung told the judge that the first-degree burglary charge against Hunter would be dismissed because prosecutors could not prove his intent. Chung acknowledged that video from the bus showed Hunter “acting erratically” before breaking into Bass’ home.
Los Angeles Police Department interim police chief Dominic Choi confirmed in April that no one at the police station was present when Hunter broke the glass door and entered the home, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Police arrived at Hunter’s home and arrested Hunter after Bass entered the home’s safe room.
An LAPD source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case previously told The Times that the department has since begun maintaining a around-the-clock visible presence in the area.
Police and prosecutors said Hunter broke into the mayor’s mansion around 6:40 a.m. while Bass and several members of her family were home. Hunter climbed to the second floor and at some point encountered the mayor’s German shepherd, Starks, according to law enforcement sources. No one was injured and nothing was stolen.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that Hunter called Bass’ name after entering the residence. Hunter offered a different account, telling KNX that he had been calling his brother Aaron’s name.
In an interview with KNX, Hunter said he was under the influence of methamphetamine and believed someone was after him. He denied he was targeting the mayor, saying he had no interest in politics and was barred from voting due to a past criminal conviction.
The incident is the second of two break-ins Bath has experienced in recent years. In 2022, two men burglarized Bass’ home in Baldwin Vista and stole two guns. Both men were jailed last year.
Hunter was previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Massachusetts and served seven years in state prison, court records show. A relative of Hunter told The Times that Hunter insisted he was present but not involved.
A woman who identified herself as Hunter’s mother previously told The Times that Hunter had struggled with drug addiction and may have been hallucinating during the break-in.
Josephine Duah described her son as a “very kind, loving man” whose life was made easy by drug addiction and prison time. She has repeatedly insisted her son did not know he had entered the mayor’s home.
