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 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 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 another that appeared to challenge officers to catch them if they could.
The escape was facilitated by a perfect storm of staffing issues and building design flaws, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson.
Groves was captured after a tip led investigators to Atlanta. When police first approached the home, it appeared no one was there, but he was ultimately located hiding in a crawl space in the basement.
Convicted of second-degree murder in October 2024 for an incident during a Mardi Gras block party, Groves was sentenced to life without parole. He is now facing additional charges for his escape. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill vowed to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.
