11 Inmates Break Out of Orleans Parish Jail
New Orleans, LA – May 17, 2025 – Eleven inmates escaped from Orleans Parish Jail early Friday by dismantling a toilet-sink fixture and breaking through a cell wall, using clean cuts on metal bars to create a window-sized hole. They exited via a loading dock, leaving behind taunting messages such as “Too easy, LOL” and a smiley face with its tongue out.
Two inmates have been recaptured, including Kendell Myles, nabbed in the French Quarter via facial recognition, while nine others remain at large and are deemed armed and dangerous. A multi-agency manhunt involving the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and state troopers is ongoing, with authorities urging the public to report sightings to 911.
The breakout was discovered during a headcount at a detention facility. The escape began around 12:23 AM when inmates tampered with a defective cell door lock, taking advantage of a security lapse. A civilian employee tasked with monitoring the area had left to get food, leaving the area unsupervised. Sheriff Susan Hutson stated that the escapees likely received internal assistance, as three Sheriff’s Office employees have been suspended without pay pending investigation.
Among the fugitives is Derrick Groves, convicted of four murders, including two on Fat Tuesday 2018 in the Lower Ninth Ward. The incident follows a recent narrow approval of a property tax to fund the Sheriff’s Office, passing by just four votes after a recount.
