Final Escapee from New Orleans Jail Captured After Months on the Run

Fri Oct 10 2025 09:14:01 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Derrick Groves, the last of ten inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail five months ago, has been apprehended in Atlanta after a standoff with law enforcement.

Following a dramatic five-month manhunt, Derrick Groves, the final escapee from the Louisiana Orleans Parish Justice Center, has been captured in Atlanta, Georgia. His capture ended an extensive search that began after 10 inmates broke free by dismantling a toilet and breaking through a wall. Groves, already serving a life sentence for murder, now faces additional charges related to the escape.

Five months after 10 inmates broke out of 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 hiding in a crawl space, CBS News, BBC's US partner, reported.

The 10 inmates, including Groves, fled the Orleans Parish Justice Center in May by ripping a toilet from the wall and breaking metal bars around the hole in the wall before climbing down a hall and running across a highway.

The inmates scrawled a few messages into the wall above the hole, including To Easy LoL, and another that seemed to challenge officers to catch them.

The inmates' escape was exacerbated by a perfect storm of staffing issues and building design flaws, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told CBS News in August.

Three were captured within 24 hours of their escape, and several others were apprehended in subsequent weeks.

Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair stated that a tip-off led investigators to track Groves to the Atlanta area. When police first approached, it appeared no one was home, but they ultimately discovered Groves hiding in a carefully prepared crawl space in the basement.

Groves had been convicted of second degree murder in October 2024 after firing an assault rifle into a Mardi Gras block party, killing two adults. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes.

Now, Groves faces additional charges for his role in the escape, with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill declaring, I will ensure that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Groves will be extradited to Louisiana for processing.