ATLANTA — After five months on the run, Derrick Groves, the last of ten men to escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans, was captured Wednesday, October 8, 2025, in Atlanta, bringing an end to one of the most audacious jailbreak sagas in recent U.S. history. Groves, 28, was found hiding in a crawl space beneath a house in southwest Atlanta following a dramatic operation involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as reported by the Associated Press and Atlanta News First.
The story began in the early hours of May 16, 2025, when Groves and nine other inmates exploited a series of security lapses to break free. According to NPR, the men yanked open a faulty cell door, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, climbed a barbed-wire fence, and crossed an interstate highway. Their absence went unnoticed until a routine morning headcount, hours after their escape. The scene they left behind was almost taunting: graffiti on the bathroom wall read, "To easy LoL," accompanied by a smiley face, as described by The Guardian.
The group of escapees ranged in age from their teens to early forties, and their flight was one of the largest jailbreaks in recent memory. Within days, three of the men were recaptured in New Orleans, and all but two were back in custody by the end of May. The ninth fugitive, Antoine Massey, was found in late June. But Groves, with the most violent criminal record among them, remained at large, evading a nationwide manhunt that stretched the resources of multiple agencies and rattled communities far beyond Louisiana.
Groves' criminal history was chilling. Convicted in October 2024 of two counts of murder for a Mardi Gras-day shooting in 2018 that killed two people and wounded others, he was serving a life sentence without parole and faced additional time for attempted murder and federal firearms charges, according to ABC News. Administrative delays had kept him in jail rather than prison at the time of the escape.
Authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Groves' capture. The crucial tip came through New Orleans Crimestoppers, ultimately allowing investigators to zero in on a residence in Atlanta in early October, as reported by WDSU. According to Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges, "the task force investigating the jailbreak learned in early October that Groves was likely in the Atlanta area. They traced him to a particular residence through information gathered via multiple search warrants and other investigative means."
On the evening of October 8, a multi-agency team—including the U.S. Marshals Service’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, Atlanta Police Department SWAT, and Clayton County K-9 unit—descended on the house. Witnesses described a scene straight out of a movie: "They had three or four SWAT trucks up here," said neighbor Bakaffa Aganafer to Atlanta News First. "They went through the garage door, looks like, and there were flash bangs." Tear gas was deployed to flush Groves from his hiding spots, and a police dog eventually located him in a crawl space. Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Kelley Collier stated, "We deployed a number of canisters of gas to help move him throughout the house … he moved to the basement of the house. Soon after, Clayton County K-9 was deployed in the crawl space of the location, and found him in that crawl space."
No one else was found inside the house at the time of Groves’ arrest. A video released by the Atlanta Police Department showed Groves blowing a kiss to the camera as he was escorted to a police cruiser—a moment that seemed to encapsulate the brashness he’d displayed since the escape.
Authorities were quick to celebrate the conclusion of the manhunt. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry posted on social media, "Thank you to our incredible law enforcement officials from the federal, state, and local level who worked tirelessly to put each of these men back where they belong: BEHIND BARS." The relief was palpable for law enforcement, victims, and witnesses who had lived with the uncertainty of Groves’ whereabouts for months. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill remarked, "It's a very unsettling thing to have somebody out like this … so today is a very good day."
The investigation into the jailbreak itself revealed a litany of failures and possible complicity. Faulty locks, staffing shortages, and a lone guard distracted by a food run all contributed to the escape, according to The Times-Picayune. But authorities believe the men had help from the inside. A maintenance worker was arrested for allegedly turning off the water to the toilet where the hole was cut, though he insists he was simply unclogging it. Another twist came when a former jail employee, identified as Groves’ girlfriend, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit simple escape. According to the Associated Press, Darriana Burton, Groves’ "on-again, off-again" girlfriend and former sheriff’s office employee, allegedly helped coordinate the escape via a video call two days prior. Her bond was set at $2.5 million.
More than a dozen people have been arrested for aiding the escapees, including jail staff and outside accomplices. Charges include "accessory after the fact" for actions ranging from communicating with inmates to providing transportation, food, and cash. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson accepted responsibility for the jailbreak but cited chronic underfunding and systemic failures, while Governor Landry pointed to broader issues within New Orleans’ criminal justice system.
Following his arrest, Groves appeared before a Fulton County judge on October 9. He waived his right to an extradition hearing, telling the judge, "I want to go back to New Orleans," as reported by Atlanta News First. Louisiana now has 15 days to retrieve him from Fulton County Jail. Once returned, Groves will face additional charges for simple escape—a crime carrying a two to five-year sentence. Prosecutors are considering upgrading the charge to aggravated escape in light of weapons and drugs discovered at the Atlanta residence. He may also be prosecuted in Georgia and potentially at the federal level.
For New Orleans, the saga has prompted urgent calls for reform. Sheriff Hutson announced $15 million in new funding for security upgrades at the jail, and investigations continue into how such a large-scale escape could have happened in the first place. Meanwhile, for the families of Groves’ victims and the community at large, his capture brings a measure of closure—and a renewed focus on the challenges facing America’s jails.
The final chapter of Derrick Groves’ flight may be written in a Louisiana courtroom, but the story has already left an indelible mark on the nation’s conversation about justice, security, and the high cost of complacency.
