The months-long manhunt for the final fugitive in one of Louisiana’s most daring jailbreaks ended Wednesday, when Derrick Groves, a convicted killer who escaped from the Orleans Justice Center in May, was captured after a tense standoff in Atlanta.
Louisiana State Police confirmed Groves’ arrest in a statement. The agency called it the result of an “unprecedented multi-agency collaboration.” Agencies involved included CrimeStoppers Greater New Orleans, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police, and Atlanta Police. “Through a coordinated effort… 28-year-old Derrick Groves was apprehended on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia, after a brief stand-off,” the statement to Fox News said.
A Violent Past and a High-Stakes Capture
Groves, 28, had been on the run for nearly five months. He led one of the most high-profile jailbreaks in New Orleans history. Convicted in 2024 for opening fire at a Mardi Gras block party, Groves killed two people and injured several others. He was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder when he and nine other inmates broke free from the Orleans Parish Justice Center on May 16.
“I was deeply concerned that someone who had been convicted of a double homicide, and was supposed to be in Angola, would not go easily,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said after Groves’ capture. “I was afraid that there would be loss of life, whether it be civilian or law enforcement. And I don’t think we thank Derrick Groves for that, I think we thank God for that, that he was taken into custody without injury.”
According to U.S. Marshals, the arrest followed a three-hour standoff at a home in southwest Atlanta. Law enforcement deployed gas multiple times before locating Groves hiding in a crawl space. The incident ended without gunfire or casualties.
The Escape That Shocked New Orleans
The jailbreak, which exposed major security failures at the Orleans Justice Center, began just after midnight on May 16. Investigators later learned that inmates had exploited a malfunctioning cell door. They entered a handicapped-accessible stall and removed a toilet from the wall to carve through concrete and escape. Before fleeing into the humid Louisiana night, they scrawled graffiti above the escape hole. The message read, “To Easy LoL,” according to AP News.
Within days after the May 16 jailbreak, authorities captured nine of the ten men in Louisiana and Texas. But Groves, the only convicted murderer among them, remained elusive, prompting a massive federal manhunt that spanned multiple states until his eventual capture on October 8, 2025.
Systemic Failures and Internal Collusion
The Orleans Justice Center was already under scrutiny for chronic understaffing and safety violations. It was operating at just 60% capacity when the escape occurred, officials said. Only four supervisors and 36 staff members were overseeing roughly 1,400 inmates at the time.
Authorities have since arrested several individuals accused of helping the inmates flee. Arrests include jail personnel and relatives. Among them was Darriana Burton, a former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee and Groves’ reported girlfriend. She was charged in June with conspiracy and aiding an escape. According to her arrest affidavit, Burton allegedly coordinated communications between Groves and contacts outside the jail. She also passed along logistical details about the breakout.
Investigators are continuing to probe whether additional employees facilitated the escape. They are also exploring whether systemic mismanagement played a role. “We will pursue every available legal avenue to ensure that Derrick Groves answers for every crime he has committed and every consequence he has sought to avoid,” DA Williams said in a statement.
A Wake-Up Call for Louisiana Corrections
Groves’ capture closes one of the state’s most embarrassing chapters in recent corrections history. However, it leaves open difficult questions about accountability. The escape has reignited debate over Louisiana’s struggling jail system. Staff shortages, aging facilities, and security lapses have become common.
“The Orleans Justice Center remains a symptom of a larger issue — a corrections system underfunded, understaffed, and ill-equipped to handle high-risk inmates,” said a former state corrections official who spoke to The Times-Picayune. “Until those structural problems are fixed, incidents like this will keep happening.”
For now, Groves faces additional charges for his role in the escape and will likely be transferred to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, one of the nation’s most secure prisons.
What began with a toilet ripped from a wall and a mocking message scrawled in graffiti has ended in an Atlanta crawl space. But the lessons from this jailbreak — and the failures it exposed — are only beginning to sink in.
