New Orleans: A major security breach has shaken the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans after ten inmates — including individuals facing murder charges — escaped custody in the early hours of Friday. Authorities have confirmed that the jailbreak involved help from within the facility, sparking a large-scale manhunt.
The inmates, ranging in age from 19 to 42, were discovered missing during a routine headcount Friday morning. According to officials, the escape occurred at approximately 1 a.m. when the detainees dismantled a sliding cell door and tore down a wall by removing a toilet and sink fixture.
At an afternoon press briefing, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson explained that security footage captured the men exiting via a loading dock, scaling a perimeter wall, and fleeing across a nearby highway. While two of the fugitives were captured on the same day, eight others remained at large.
“We have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department,” Sheriff Hutson said. She also revealed that a staff member monitoring surveillance video witnessed the escape in real time but failed to notify deputies. However, she did not provide further details about the internal assistance the inmates allegedly received.
The Orleans Parish Justice Center typically houses inmates awaiting trial or sentencing. Sheriff Hutson urged the public to remain vigilant and reported that multiple law enforcement agencies had joined the manhunt.
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Louisiana State Police later reported that one of the escapees had been apprehended hiding beneath a vehicle in a hotel parking garage in the French Quarter, a historic area of New Orleans known for its tourism and nightlife.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick expressed concern during a news conference, stating that her department was informed of the escape approximately two hours after the missing inmates were discovered. She also confirmed that some of the fugitives were facing murder charges.
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“It was concerning that her department was not notified sooner,” Kirkpatrick said. She added that police had taken immediate steps to notify the victims associated with some of the escapees and, in at least one case, had relocated a family believed to be in danger.
The jailbreak has raised serious questions about the facility’s internal security protocols and communication procedures between the jail and city police.
