After months on the run, Derrick Groves, the last of ten inmates who escaped from Orleans Parish in May, was finally captured in southwest Atlanta following a tense standoff with law enforcement.
Groves, 28, had been convicted of second-degree murder in connection with a Mardi Gras block party shooting that left two people dead. Prior to his escape, he was considered the most violent and high-risk inmate among those who broke out.
The mass escape began early on May 16 at the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Ten inmates pried open a cell door, squeezed through a concealed hole behind a toilet, and climbed a barbed-wire fence before vanishing into the streets of New Orleans. The delay in discovery, reportedly several hours, intensified scrutiny on the facility’s security protocols and staffing issues.
Within weeks, nine of the ten escapees had been recaptured. Groves remained elusive, prompting a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. His extended time on the run raised speculation about potential outside help and fueled criticism of the Orleans Sheriff’s Office for repeated lapses in oversight.
Authorities finally tracked him to a residence in southwest Atlanta after receiving a tip via CrimeStoppers. A SWAT team surrounded the home and deployed gas before a police dog located Groves hiding beneath the structure. He was found shackled at the wrists and ankles, shirtless and barefoot, but alive. Witnesses said that as officers led him away, Groves smiled and blew a kiss toward news cameras.
No one else was arrested at the residence, and police confirmed he was alone at the time of his capture. Groves now faces not only his original murder and weapons charges but also additional counts related to his escape.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry praised law enforcement for “putting all ten escapees back where they belong,” while local officials in Orleans Parish are still facing questions about how such a large-scale jailbreak could happen in the first place.
The incident has reignited debate over chronic staffing shortages and structural flaws in the New Orleans jail system. Though the capture of Groves marks the end of a months-long manhunt, the fallout from one of the city’s most embarrassing security breaches in years is far from over.