The five-month manhunt for Derrick Groves, the final of 10 inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Middle in considered one of Louisiana’s largest jailbreaks, got here to a definitive finish Oct. 8 when authorities discovered him hiding in a crawl house beneath a southwest Atlanta house.
Groves, 28, a fugitive serving a life sentence, was captured by a SWAT staff after federal authorities spent a number of hours looking out the Honeysuckle Avenue house. Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Truthful confirmed that officers deployed fuel a number of instances into the home and basement earlier than lastly finding the fugitive in a deep basement crawl house.
“Primarily based on how lengthy it took a seasoned, well-trained SWAT staff to get him out, he had deliberate to cover for some time,” Truthful stated, highlighting the premeditation concerned within the evasion. Video launched by Atlanta police exhibits Groves, shirtless and shackled, blowing a kiss and grinning as officers led him to a patrol automotive. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail as a fugitive from justice and now awaits extradition to Louisiana.
Groves’ seize marks the top of a multi-agency operation that spanned a number of states for the reason that Could 16, 2025, mass breakout. Groves, convicted in 2024 of second-degree homicide and manslaughter for a Mardi Gras block occasion capturing, was the ultimate escapee remaining at massive.
The ten inmates initially escaped the Orleans Parish Justice Middle by squeezing by way of a gap behind a rest room, scaling a barbed-wire fence, and forsaking a taunting message on a cell wall that learn, “To Straightforward LOL.”
The dramatic escape, which uncovered important safety weaknesses on the facility, drew sharp condemnation from state leaders. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the operation on X, saying, “All 10 escapees are again the place they belong: BEHIND BARS.”
Orleans Parish District Legal professional Jason Williams confirmed his workplace would pursue each authorized avenue in opposition to Groves.
“Groves’ escape represented a critical breach of public security and a historic failure of custodial safety,” Williams stated in a press release. “His seize brings long-awaited calm to victims, their households… and the individuals of New Orleans who had been rightly involved {that a} convicted violent offender had escaped so simply.”
Federal investigators beforehand confirmed that Groves and the opposite inmates obtained substantial assist. Not less than 16 individuals have been charged with helping the fugitives earlier than or after their escape, together with offering them with money, meals, and shelter. These arrested embody Darriana Burton, Groves’ former girlfriend and a former jail worker, and a upkeep employee accused of shutting off water to the cell rest room in the course of the breakout.
The controversy over the delay in alerting the general public to the Could escape has prompted new state motion; Louisiana lawmakers proposed a invoice that will make it obligatory for state and parish officers to right away alert victims and the general public following an inmate’s escape.
Groves is anticipated to face new costs associated to the jailbreak upon his return to Louisiana.
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