Witness the chaos of the New Orleans jailbreak as inmates escape and law enforcement mobilizes.
Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail early Friday, prompting a citywide manhunt. Authorities consider the escapees armed and dangerous, with three already apprehended. The escape was facilitated by inside help, leading to security concerns at the facility. Law enforcement, including the FBI, is actively seeking the remaining fugitives, with increased rewards for information on their capture.
New Orleans officials confirmed that ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail early Friday morning. Law enforcement has classified the escapees as “armed and dangerous,” prompting an extensive manhunt across the city. As of now, three of the escapees have been apprehended, while the search continues for the remaining seven individuals.
The escape was discovered during a routine head count at 8:30 a.m., revealing that the inmates had broken out sometime after midnight, specifically at 12:23 a.m. Initial reports mistakenly indicated that eleven inmates had broken free, but the numbers were later corrected to ten. One individual, Keith Lewis, was misidentified as an escapee.
According to Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, the inmates somehow received inside assistance to carry out their elaborate escape. They successfully removed a sliding jail cell door off its track and breached a wall behind a toilet using tools fashioned from toiletry items, managing to dislodge both the toilet and its bolts. After breaching the wall, the escapees scaled down an external wall and ran across a nearby interstate.
Security footage has been released showing the inmates running out of the facility and crossing the freeway. During their escape, the inmates left behind messages scrawled on the walls, including one that read, “to easy, LOL,” suggesting a level of audacity during the jailbreak.
Following the escape, law enforcement authorities, including the Louisiana State Police, the FBI, and local police, have intensified their search efforts using a coordinated approach. The manhunt has been described as ongoing, with police using various resources, including aircraft, to locate the remaining escapees. The escapees include individuals with serious criminal records, including Derrick Groves, who has a history of murder convictions.
To incentivize information leading to the capture of those still at large, law enforcement agencies have announced increased rewards. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering $5,000, Crimestoppers is providing $2,000, and the FBI has matched the ATF’s reward, totaling to $5,000 as well.
Sheriff Hutson has pointed to existing security issues at the Orleans Parish Jail, indicating that significant upgrades were necessary but had been deferred due to a lack of support from the city. It has been estimated that replacing the locks throughout the facility would cost approximately $5.2 million, highlighting long-standing problems associated with maintaining security standards.
The initial delay in locating the escapees may have stemmed from the design of the jail itself, which presented challenges in searching for individuals who had just escaped. Reports indicate that the authorities are continuing to pursue every lead on the whereabouts of the inmates, believed to be hiding somewhere within New Orleans.
Since the jailbreak, law enforcement agencies have reported that they have successfully recaptured eight of the ten inmates. As of the latest updates, only two individuals, Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves, remain unaccounted for. Local police have assured residents that they are taking all necessary steps to maintain public safety and apprehend the remaining escapees.
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