Seven of the 10 inmates who busted out of a New Orleans jail on Friday, including two murder suspects, had not been found as of Monday as a sweeping manhunt is underway in Louisiana.
“You can run, but you CANNOT HIDE. We will hunt each of you down,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) wrote on the social media platform X, along with mugshots of each of the escapees. “3 down 7 to go, and we ARE NOT slowing down!”
The seven men still on the lam have been identified as: Corey Boyd, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Antoine Massey, Gary Price, Leo Tate and Lenton Vanburen.
The FBI’s New Orleans field office is assisting state and local law enforcement agencies with the search.
How it happened
According to authorities, 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Justice Center at about 1 a.m. Friday, then scaled a barbed-wire fence with blankets and bolted across an interstate highway. Parts of their escape were captured on surveillance videos.
Authorities said the escapees crawled through a hole hidden behind a toilet in one of the cells after manipulating a broken slider door to get into the room, which was fitted for disabled prisoners and unoccupied.
The Associated Press obtained a photo of the opening, with the misspelled message: “To Easy LoL” scrawled above it with an arrow. Protective plumbing fixtures within the opening appeared to have been intentionally cut using a tool.
The escape was discovered during a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m.
Reward increased
Multiple agencies have offered rewards, hoping that tipsters will help them capture the seven missing inmates. The total bounty now stands at up to $20,000 for information leading to the apprehension of any of the escapees, Louisiana State Police said on X.
The FBI initially offered rewards of up to $5,000 for fruitful tips, but the agency has since bumped it up to $10,000.
Crimestoppers New Orleans initially offered $2,000 per escapee, but Landry announced Sunday that state officials are kicking in $3,000, bringing the Crimestoppers pool up to $5,000.
Additionally, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has offered up to $5,000 per inmate caught.
Investigation of jail underway
Landry ordered the state attorney general to launch an investigation into the jailbreak, and the Louisiana Department of Corrections is conducting a comprehensive audit of the Orleans Justice Center, which the governor said is to be concluded by the end of the week.
“The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened,” the governor said Sunday.
Authorities haven’t ruled out the possibility that employees and other outside individuals assisted the escapees.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told reporters Friday that there are indications the inmates “received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department.”
Three employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Politics in play
New Orleans is in the middle of a city election cycle, including for the office of Orleans Parish sheriff.
Hutson is seeking reelection but faces a slate of challengers in the Oct. 11 primary. Runoffs will take place Nov. 15 for any races where no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round.
“Political people are making this a political issue,” Hutson said.
Landry, a staunch conservative and ally of President Trump, blamed progressive politicians in Democratic-controlled New Orleans for the jailbreak.
“The irony of the progressive promises that have been made to this city is clear. New Orleans handed the jail keys to those who vowed to keep criminals out of jail, and sadly, today we see that it worked,” he said at a news conference on Sunday. “I hope everyone understands that the video of those prisoners escaping epitomizes a progressive criminal justice system.
