In brief
Louisiana State Police confirmed the capture of Derrick Groves, the last escaped inmate from a group of ten who broke out of the Orleans Parish Justice Center five months ago. Groves was found hiding in a crawl space in Atlanta after a brief standoff. His escape, facilitated by significant security flaws, has drawn attention to the challenges of managing inmate safety and security in prisons. Following his capture, Groves faces additional charges for the escape.
Five months after ten inmates escaped from a Louisiana jail, the last escapee has been captured, Louisiana State Police confirmed on Wednesday.
The escaped inmate, 28-year-old Derrick Groves, was taken into custody in Atlanta, Georgia, after a brief standoff, police said.
Police released several gas canisters into a house where Groves was believed to be hiding, and then found him concealing himself in a crawl space, according to CBS News.
The ten inmates had fled the Orleans Parish Justice Center in May by tearing a toilet off the wall and breaking metal bars around the hole before creeping down a hallway and escaping across a highway. Messages inscribed on the wall above the hole included To Easy LoL and challenges for the authorities to catch them.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff, Susan Hutson, remarked on the escape being a result of a perfect storm involving staffing shortages and design flaws in the jail's infrastructure.
While three of the escapees were recaptured shortly after their breakout, others were apprehended in the following weeks. A tip-off led investigators to track Groves down to the Atlanta area. When authorities approached the house, at first, it appeared no one was inside.
We had concerns maybe he wasn't in the house, Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair said. But ultimately, they found him hiding in a crawl space, and he had put some thought and work into the hiding space he was in.
Groves was previously convicted of second-degree murder and was serving a life sentence for firing an assault rifle into a Mardi Gras gathering in 2024, killing two individuals. He is now facing additional charges related to his escape, with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill vowing to prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
Groves will be extradited to Louisiana for legal proceedings.
