All 10 inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail five months ago have been captured, with the last individual apprehended recently. Derrick Groves, a 28-year-old inmate, was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, following a brief standoff with law enforcement. According to reports, police used gas canisters to flush Groves out from a hiding spot in a crawl space within a house.
The escape occurred in May at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, where inmates broke free by removing a toilet from the wall and damaging metal bars. They then navigated a hallway before exiting the facility. The inmates left behind messages in the wall above their escape route, with some remarks suggesting they were taunting authorities, including phrases like “To Easy LoL.”
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson cited a combination of staffing shortages and architectural weaknesses as contributing factors to the escape, describing it as a “perfect storm” for such an incident. Following the breakout, authorities managed to apprehend three inmates within the first 24 hours, while others were rounded up in subsequent weeks.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair noted that a tip-off led to Groves’ location in Atlanta. Initially, it appeared the house was unoccupied. However, law enforcement eventually located him in an elaborate hiding spot he had constructed in the basement.
Groves was previously convicted of second-degree murder related to a shooting incident at a Mardi Gras event in 2024, resulting in two fatalities, along with attempted murder and a firearms charge, leading to a life sentence. He now faces additional charges related to the escape and will be extradited back to Louisiana for further legal proceedings.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2p816z4zgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss