A 27-year-old man broke into Kim Kardashian's Hidden Hills, California, estate on Sunday afternoon and stole a staffer's vehicle, the latest security breach for a celebrity who once told a court she thought she would die during a robbery.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responded to Kardashian's mansion at 3:45 p.m. Sunday after a security guard reported a break-in in progress, ABC News reported. They arrested the suspect on suspicion of burglary. Kardashian, a reality TV star and entrepreneur, was not home at the time. She and her four children have been living in a nearby rental while the Hidden Hills property undergoes renovations.
The suspect did more than trespass. He took a vehicle belonging to one of Kardashian's staff members and went joyriding around the neighborhood before deputies caught up with him, the New York Post reported. He now faces suspicion of both burglary and vehicle theft.
Deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's station handled the call. LASD Sgt. Chris Soderlund told reporters the case remains in its early stages.
"It's still under investigation, and we're still in the preliminary stage."
The sergeant's comment left open whether prosecutors will file formal charges beyond the initial booking for burglary. Fox News reported the suspect faces charges for both burglary and vehicle theft, though no formal charging decision has been announced.
Kardashian's Hidden Hills home carries an estimated value north of $60 million, Breitbart noted. The ongoing renovations meant the property was occupied only by staff and security, not the family. ABC News reached out to Kardashian for comment but received no response.
Sunday's break-in lands against a backdrop that Kardashian knows well. In 2016, five armed and masked men posing as police officers stormed a Parisian hotel suite where she was staying. They bound and gagged her and fled with at least $6 million worth of jewelry.
Investigators later said they believed the thieves tracked Kardashian through social media posts showing her general location and photos of expensive jewelry. Ten suspects were eventually charged. Eight were found guilty; two were acquitted in a trial that concluded last year.
Kardashian appeared in court during those proceedings and described the terror of the ordeal.
"I absolutely thought that I was going to die."
Since Paris, Kardashian has said she changed how she uses social media, no longer sharing real-time activities or locations. She has also invested heavily in private security. A security guard's quick report to deputies on Sunday suggests that investment worked, at least enough to get the suspect caught before he left the neighborhood with the stolen car.
Kardashian shares four children with her ex-husband, rapper and songwriter Ye. All were staying at the rental property at the time of the break-in. No injuries were reported, and authorities have not described any property damage beyond the vehicle theft.
Several questions remain unanswered. The suspect's name has not been released. Authorities have not said how he gained entry to the property or whether he targeted the home specifically. The manner of the break-in, whether he bypassed gates, fences, or other security measures at a gated community like Hidden Hills, has not been disclosed.
The investigation is ongoing. Whether the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office will pursue felony charges, and how quickly, will say something about how seriously local prosecutors treat property crime against high-profile targets, or anyone else.
A man broke into a $60 million home in broad daylight, stole a car, and took a joyride. If that can happen at one of the most security-conscious private residences in Los Angeles County, ordinary homeowners have every reason to wonder what stands between their front door and the next opportunist who decides to walk through it.
