Ten inmates escaped a Louisiana jail early Friday morning, gaining a major head start on the subsequent manhunt thanks to how long it took guards to notice their absence.
The escape happened at 12:20 a.m. but was not discovered until a headcount at 8:30 a.m., just over eight hours later, found the men missing.
By noon Friday, one inmate was back in custody and a manhunt by the New Orleans Police Department and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office was being launched. A second inmate was apprehended later in the day.
The inmates, Robert Moody and Kendell Myles, remain the only two escapees that have been captured.
Myles was reportedly located using face identification technology.
Escapees still on the run include convicted and alleged killers. One, Derrick Groves, is a convicted mass shooter who authorities believe may seek out witnesses from his trial, WVUE reported.
Other inmates on the run include Corey Boyd, accused of second-degree murder for a killing during a car burglary; Jermaine Donald, charged with second-degree murder; Gary Price, held for attempted first-degree murder; Antoine Massey, held on kidnapping and rape charges; Leo Tate, originally brought in on a weapons possession charge; and Dkenan Dennis, who was being held on armed robbery charges.
Surveillance video showed the inmates forcing open a door at the jail, escaping from a loading bay, and running across Interstate 10.
Photographs obtained by WVUE show a toilet in the cell was torn away from the wall, revealing a narrow hole through which the ten men escaped.
Taunting graffiti and messages to the guards were scribbled above the hole.
OPSO Sheriff Susan Hutson put part of the blame on the jail’s doors and locks, which she says must be upgraded. Three employees were also suspended from the facility following the mass escape.
The inmates’ successful escape and the suspension of three employees has fueled speculation that the breakout was facilitated with help from the inside. Sheriff Hutson also noted that plumbing at the point of escape could have only been loosened from the other side.
Hutson has received scathing criticism following the violent criminals’ jailbreak.
According to New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams, the escape was a “complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator.”
Williams noted that some of the escapees have a history of witness intimidation.
Authorities say anyone who sees the escapees should immediately call 911.
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