Man Arrested for Felony Stalking at LeBron James' Brentwood Home; James Says 'My Family Is Safe'

A man was arrested on a Brentwood property reported to belong to LeBron James on Friday night, Nov. 6, and booked for felony stalking. Nobody was home, and the man never made it inside.

The Los Angeles Police Department received a report of a possible burglary suspect at about 9:40 p.m., an LAPD spokesperson said. Officers arrived, found a man on the property and took him into custody without incident.

Police told ABC News the man was not armed and did not get into the house. They said it is unclear how he got onto the property.

What James said

James was nowhere near it. The Philadelphia 76ers were in Cleveland on Friday, where they lost to the Cavaliers 119-85. The team then traveled to Chicago for Sunday's game against the Bulls.

After the Sixers beat the Bulls on Sunday, Nov. 8, reporters asked James about the arrest.

"My family is safe, and that's the most important thing," James said. "We're still looking into everything."

That was the full extent of his comment. James is 41, and he signed with Philadelphia this offseason on a two-year, $8 million deal after eight seasons with the Lakers. His wife, Savannah, and 12-year-old daughter, Zhuri, still live in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. Bronny James, who plays for the Lakers, moved out of the family home earlier, James has said.

The suspect

The LA Times reported that the man is 22-year-old Jaliere McWhite. As of Monday morning he was being held on $150,000 bond at the Van Nuys Regional Jail, according to online inmate records. Booking is not a conviction, and no source has reported a formal charging decision from prosecutors.

TMZ Sports, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the man told officers he believed he was James' son. No one else has confirmed that claim, and nothing in the record shows any relationship between him and the James family.

TMZ also reported that private security staff watching the home on surveillance cameras spotted the man at about 9 p.m. and called police. According to that report, officers reached the house around 9:39 p.m.

An odd fit for the charge

The call that brought officers to the house was a suspected burglary. The man was booked for stalking instead. A police report for stalking was taken, but LAPD has not explained what facts support that booking.

Stalking in California generally requires a pattern of conduct, such as following or harassing someone, combined with a credible threat that puts the target in fear for their safety. A single trespass does not usually meet that bar. Whether this was a first visit or part of a pattern is something police have not said.

The department also has not said whether the man had been to the property before.

Not the first incident at this address

The Brentwood home has been targeted before. In May 2017, the day before the NBA Finals began, someone spray-painted a racial slur on the front gate while James was in Oakland with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Police investigated it as vandalism and a possible hate crime.

This time the damage was limited. No one was inside, nothing was reported broken or taken, and the man did not have a weapon.

What remains unanswered is the basic one. LAPD has not said how a man got past the property's perimeter in a neighborhood where the owner employs private security. McWhite was still in custody Monday, and the stalking booking will go to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges.