Derrick Groves, the last of 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail nearly five months ago, was captured at a residence in Atlanta on Wednesday, the US marshals service confirmed.
Groves, convicted of murdering two men during Mardi Gras 2018, had been on the run since May 16 after breaking out of the Orleans justice center with nine other prisoners.
Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair said Groves was located after a tip to Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans and further investigation. The arrest followed a standoff with Atlanta Police and US marshals.
“It took almost three hours to locate him in the house, gas had to be deployed into the house multiple times by (the) Atlanta Police Department’s SWAT team, and he was ultimately located hiding in a crawl space ,” Fair told CNN.
New Orleans district attorney Jason Williams called the escape “a serious breach of public safety and a historic failure of custodial security.” He added, “his capture brings long-awaited calm to victims, their families, the witnesses who testified, the assistant district attorneys who prosecuted him and the people of New Orleans.”
Groves was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, crimes that carry a life sentence.
The jailbreak occurred shortly after midnight on May 16, when inmates used electric hair trimmers to cut through the walls of a cell behind a toilet, which they then concealed by replacing the toilet. Before fleeing, the prisoners left a message on a wall: “To Easy LoL.”
The operation to capture Groves involved collaboration among multiple agencies including the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police, Louisiana state police, Homeland security investigations, and the FBI.
Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said Groves will face charges related to the escape and vowed to prosecute “to the full extent of the law.”
Groves, convicted of murdering two men during Mardi Gras 2018, had been on the run since May 16 after breaking out of the Orleans justice center with nine other prisoners.
Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair said Groves was located after a tip to Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans and further investigation. The arrest followed a standoff with Atlanta Police and US marshals.
Footage of Derrick Groves being arrested after a standoff with police this morning in Atlantapic.twitter.com/B1UFZkTWYV
— SUAREZ (@suayrez) October 8, 2025
“It took almost three hours to locate him in the house, gas had to be deployed into the house multiple times by (the) Atlanta Police Department’s SWAT team, and he was ultimately located hiding in a crawl space ,” Fair told CNN.
New Orleans district attorney Jason Williams called the escape “a serious breach of public safety and a historic failure of custodial security.” He added, “his capture brings long-awaited calm to victims, their families, the witnesses who testified, the assistant district attorneys who prosecuted him and the people of New Orleans.”
Groves was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, crimes that carry a life sentence.
The jailbreak occurred shortly after midnight on May 16, when inmates used electric hair trimmers to cut through the walls of a cell behind a toilet, which they then concealed by replacing the toilet. Before fleeing, the prisoners left a message on a wall: “To Easy LoL.”
The operation to capture Groves involved collaboration among multiple agencies including the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police, Louisiana state police, Homeland security investigations, and the FBI.
Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said Groves will face charges related to the escape and vowed to prosecute “to the full extent of the law.”
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