Five months after 10 prisoners broke out of a Louisiana jail, the last escapee has been captured, Louisiana State Police confirmed on Wednesday.
The runaway inmate, 28-year-old Derrick Groves, was taken into custody in Atlanta, Georgia, following a brief stand-off, 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, had 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 had scrawled a few messages into the wall above the hole, including To Easy LoL and other taunts directed at officers. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson pointed out that their escape was facilitated by staffing issues and design flaws in the facility.
Three inmates were captured within 24 hours of their escape, while several others were found over the following weeks. Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair noted that a tip led investigators to Groves in Atlanta.
Upon police arrival, it initially appeared no one was in the house, but they ultimately discovered Groves in a well-concealed crawl space. He is facing additional charges for the escape and is expected to be extradited back to Louisiana for processing.
Groves had previously been convicted of second-degree murder among other charges and was serving a life sentence as of October 2024.
