After nearly five months on the run, Derrick Groves, the last of ten inmates to escape from the Orleans Parish jail in New Orleans, was captured by law enforcement in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 8, 2025. His dramatic apprehension—following an hours-long standoff and a tense search that ended with a police dog locating him in a crawl space beneath a suburban home—marks the conclusion of one of the largest and most audacious jailbreaks in recent U.S. history, according to reports from the Associated Press and local Louisiana outlets.
Groves, 28, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2024 for a deadly shooting that erupted during a Mardi Gras day block party, killing two and injuring several others. He was awaiting sentencing and facing a possible life term without parole when he and nine others orchestrated a daring escape from the Orleans Parish jail on May 16, 2025. The group’s flight and the subsequent manhunt gripped Louisiana and the broader region for months, drawing national attention and sparking intense scrutiny of jail security and management.
The escape itself was as cinematic as it was troubling. According to the Associated Press, the inmates managed to open a faulty cell door, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and scale a barbed-wire fence under cover of darkness. Their absence wasn’t noticed until a morning headcount, hours after they had vanished. Inside the cell, investigators found an arrow drawn toward the escape hole and a mocking message: "To Easy LoL." The incident quickly raised questions about the jail’s infrastructure and oversight, as well as the adequacy of staffing and security protocols.
Authorities believe the escape may have been an inside job. A jail maintenance worker was arrested for allegedly helping by turning off the water to the toilet, which facilitated the prisoners' exit route. His attorney has maintained that he was simply unclogging the toilet and unaware of the plot. In addition, a former jail employee—identified as Groves’ girlfriend—faces charges of helping coordinate the breakout. The Associated Press notes that at least 16 people, including friends and relatives of the escapees, have been arrested on felony charges for providing food, money, transportation, or shelter to the fugitives before or after the jailbreak.
Law enforcement agencies responded with a massive manhunt, scouring New Orleans and surrounding areas. Phone records and hundreds of tips were used to track down most of the men, and a $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to Groves’ capture. Within six weeks of the escape, nine of the ten fugitives were back in custody, most found within Orleans Parish city limits. The search for Groves, however, dragged on for months, with authorities suspecting he had received significant help to evade capture.
The tip that finally led to Groves’ arrest came through New Orleans Crimestoppers, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair. When officers arrived at the Atlanta home—located near Tyler Perry Studios, one of the nation’s largest movie production facilities—they found the garage door collapsed inward and the property surrounded by police vehicles. SWAT teams spent hours searching the house, deploying gas multiple times before a police dog found Groves concealed in a basement crawl space. Deputy Chief Kelley Collier of the Atlanta Police Department described the operation as challenging, noting, "Based on how long it took a seasoned, well-trained SWAT team to get him out, he had planned to hide for a while."
Video footage released by police showed Groves, shirtless, shoeless, and shackled, blowing a kiss and grinning at the camera as he was led away. Inside the home, authorities found a pistol and 15 pounds of marijuana, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill confirmed at a press conference. Several individuals who appeared to be helping Groves are under investigation and could face charges for aiding and abetting.
Groves was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on charges including being a fugitive from justice. The following day, he appeared in a Fulton County court, where he agreed to be returned to Louisiana. "I want to return where I'm from," Groves told the magistrate judge, as reported by the Associated Press. Attorney General Murrill discussed ongoing extradition proceedings and confirmed that Groves would be facing not only his original charges but also new counts of simple escape, which carry an additional penalty of two to five years in prison. He may also face charges in Georgia and from federal prosecutors.
Upon his return to Louisiana, Groves will be incarcerated at Angola, the state’s maximum-security penitentiary. State Police Colonel Robert Hodges, speaking at a news conference, emphasized the significance of Groves’ capture: "All have been returned to correctional facilities, where they no longer pose a threat to the residents and visitors of Louisiana." District Attorney Jason Williams praised the public’s role in the investigation, stating, "When you call in, when you provide that tip, when you show up in court, that’s what makes this happen." Williams also pledged that prosecutors "will pursue every available legal avenue" against Groves and the others involved.
The jailbreak and its aftermath have put a spotlight on systemic issues within the Orleans Parish jail. Sheriff Susan Hutson has faced sharp criticism from both state and local officials over her handling of the escape and the jail’s chronic infrastructure problems. The Associated Press reported that ineffective cell locks and inadequate staffing contributed to the security breakdown, and the lone guard assigned to the escapees’ unit was away getting food when the breakout occurred. In response, authorities have vowed to address these vulnerabilities and hold any complicit staff accountable.
For the families of those involved, the ordeal has been harrowing. Stephanie Groves, Derrick’s mother, told the Associated Press, "I'm all messed up, I'm just trying to talk to him." Fighting tears, she revealed that she had urged her son to surrender peacefully and expressed relief that the ordeal was over. "Of course he was going to get caught," she said, noting that her family had been under constant surveillance since the breakout.
As the dust settles, the focus now shifts to the legal proceedings ahead. All ten escapees, including Groves, face additional charges of simple escape, and investigations into the broader network of accomplices continue. The case has exposed significant challenges in jail management and highlighted the importance of community cooperation in public safety efforts. With Groves’ capture, officials hope to restore a sense of security and accountability, while the lessons learned from this episode may well shape the future of corrections in Orleans Parish and beyond.
