Eight of the escapees, including suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department.
At least ten inmates escaped from a jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall on Friday in New Orleans city of the United States. As per details, the incident occurred when the only guard assigned to their cell was away to get food. Just above the hole used in the escape, messages had been scribbled on the wall — including one that read “Too Easy LOL,” with an arrow pointing directly at the opening.
The dramatic escape has left law enforcement on high alert, with eight of the fugitives, including several facing murder charges, still on the run. The local sheriff has suggested that the breakout may have been assisted by people from within the department.
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What did the jail officials say?
During a press conference, officials shared surveillance footage capturing the moments of the escape. The video shows the inmates sprinting out of the facility, some clad in bright orange uniforms while others wore white. They were seen using blankets to safely scale a barbed-wire fence and then making a run across a nearby interstate.
According to reports, the absence of the 10 men, who also utilised facility deficiencies that officials have long complained about in their escape, went unnoticed for hours. It was not until a routine morning headcount, more than seven hours after the men fled the facility, that law enforcement learned of the escape.
Officials from the sheriff’s office say there was no deputy physically at the pod, where the fugitives had been held. There was a technician, a civilian who was there to observe the pod, but she had stepped away to get food, they said.
Two fugitives arrested
Soon after the escape, one of the men, Kendall Myles, 20, was apprehended after a brief foot chase through the French Quarter. He had previously escaped twice from juvenile detention centres. By Friday evening, another fugitive, Robert Moody, had been captured, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
It is to be noted here that three employees have been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation. It was not immediately clear whether any of the employees were suspected of helping with the escape. Officials also didn’t say if the guard who left to get food was among the three suspended.
(With inputs from AP)
