The man who broke into Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s home over the weekend suffered a nervous breakdown while high on drugs and thought he was being threatened and chased before rushing into his mansion, says his family.
Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was arrested Sunday morning after breaking into the famous Getty House on Irving Boulevard, the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles.
Hunter’s mother, Josephine Duah, told DailyMail.com on Monday that she had spoken to her son, who remains in a Los Angeles jail on $100,000 bail, according to Sheriff’s Department jail records of Los Angeles County.
“My son is losing his mind,” Duah said through tears. “He thought people were chasing him and he randomly ran into this house.” He wasn’t trying to break into the mayor’s house.
Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was arrested Sunday morning after breaking into the famous Getty House on Irving Boulevard, the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles.
Family members said Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was suffering from a nervous breakdown and was on drugs the day he broke into the home of Los Angeles Mayor Bass in the Windsor Square neighborhood.
Karen Bass was inside the home with her family when Hunter broke a window and entered the Getty House, which is the mayor’s official residence.
Hunter had a troubled past with drugs and was arrested in 2015 in Massachusetts on kidnapping and attempted murder charges.
“Thank God this wasn’t someone who would have pulled out a gun and shot him because he was just trying to run away from someone who he thought was trying to grab him.
“He didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. The truth is he needs mental help.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday afternoon that charges had been filed against Hunter, including first-degree residential burglary in the presence of a person and one count of vandalism causing $400 or more in damage.
The charges against Hunter also include an allegation of a prior strike outside of Massachusetts.
Bass, his daughter and son-in-law were home during the Sunday break-in, but were not injured.
Gascón added that investigators believe Hunter targeted Bass and knew it was his house.
Hunter broke a window around 6:40 a.m. Sunday while the mayor and his family were inside the home, setting off an alarm that alerted police, LAPD spokesman Jeff Lee told DailyMail.com .
“Mayor Bass and his family were not injured and are safe,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “The mayor is grateful to the LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect.”
Hunter was previously charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in Massachusetts in 2015, according to court records obtained by DailyMail.com.
He was sentenced to five to seven years in prison after being convicted of battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, possession of heroin and armed robbery on March 2, 2015.
Hunter served six years in prison and was released on probation in June 2021, according to court records.
His family tried to be supportive and even started a fundraiser to help Hunter get back on his feet once he got out of prison.
Mayor Karen Bass has lived at the Getty home since taking office
“The reason most people who come back from prison come back is lack of support,” Hunter’s brother Joshua wrote on a GoFundMe post. “Nothing to encourage them to reintegrate into society. Having difficulty finding employment due to a criminal record, some have no choice but to return to the streets.
“That’s what we don’t want to see for Ephraim. With help, we can provide him with the funds he needs so he can start to improve a little bit.
The family was able to raise $4,846 for Hunter.
Hunter’s mother said he was having drug problems in Massachusetts and hanging around “the wrong crowd” when he was arrested and charged in 2015.
Old posts from his Instagram account showed a young Hunter smoking marijuana and wads of cash alongside some drugs. A 2012 article showed Hunter with an ankle monitor on his leg.
Hunter’s mother, Josephine Duah, told DailyMail.com that her son moved to California to escape his troubled past and bad influences. She said she had a “well-paying job” before her son started using drugs again.
Duah said she thought moving to California would be a fresh start for her struggling son.
“He was doing very well in California,” she told DailyMail.com. “He worked so much that we told him we couldn’t work seven days a week.
“He made his money very well, so I know he didn’t need to steal or take anything.” He just took this medicine and took it to where he thought he was losing his mind.
Duah said his son did not live near Bass’s house and told him he did not know which house he entered.
“He had a drug problem before, but he went to California and he was doing great until it happened to him again,” Duah said through tears. “The problem is there are many medications available in California.
“Whatever drug it was, he was in this drug-induced state that made him afraid of everything.” I want people to understand that he wasn’t trying to break in. He feared for his life.
Duah said her son was so mentally unstable that he thought she was outside the mayor’s house and screaming his name.
“He thought they were holding me and telling him to get out of the house, but of course I wasn’t there,” said Duah, who lives in Massachusetts. “He was everywhere and it didn’t make any sense.
“He needs help and that’s the only reason I’m speaking out. I’m his mother and I know he needs help. He’s only been on this drug for weeks and it’s quickly killing him. mentally deteriorated. I really don’t understand what made him do this because he was doing great. He just took this medication and took it to where he thought he was losing his mind.
Josephine Duah said her son was so mentally unstable that he thought she was outside Mayor Karen Bass’s home and screaming his name. She blames drugs for her son’s mental breakdown
Bass served as a Democratic member of Congress from 2011 until his election as the city’s 43rd mayor in 2022.
The former state Assembly leader is the first woman and second Black person to hold the position, following former Mayor Tom Bradley, who served from 1973 to 1993.
Mayor Bass helped promote progressive policies across the city, including cashless bail.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her family were not injured in Sunday’s incident, LAPD officials said.
The no-bail policy was first implemented in Los Angeles during the COVID pandemic shutdown in 2020 to reduce overcrowded city and county jails.
Suspects arrested for non-violent crimes were immediately released without posting bail prior to arraignment.
California law allows judges to set bail based on the defendant’s criminal record and the seriousness of the crime.
The policy was reinstated in May 2023 after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff ruled in favor of a group of activists who sued the county and claimed they suffered from the system of cash deposit.
Critics say eliminating cash bail offenses is an invitation to those who continue to brazenly break the law.
Sunday’s incident is the second time in three years that Bass has been the victim of a break-in.
In 2022, while she was running for office, two men stole a pair of handguns from her Baldwin Vista home.
They only took the two weapons, leaving behind cash and electronic devices.
Patricio Munoz and Juan Espinoza pleaded no contest last year to burglary and theft of a firearm. Both were sentenced to prison terms.
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