Authorities on Sunday expressed confidence in the prospect of capturing seven of 10 escaped New Orleans inmates who remain at large, possibly before the end of the night.
Federal, state and local authorities have developed usable information on each of the seven and have received multiple tips on their whereabouts, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said.
“We’re confident at this time that we have actual intelligence on all of those fugitives,” he said at an early evening news conference Sunday. “We will track all seven and bring them to justice.”
Three who participated in Friday’s early morning escape, described by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as one of the largest in state history, were captured before the end of that day, authorities said, with credit given to tips from the public.
Hodges said agents, officers, marshals, deputies, aircraft and drones from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Marshal’s Service; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; state police; New Orleans city police; and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office are now on the case.
The allied law enforcement dragnet has created a “force multiplier” in the search, Hodges said. He said the seven escapees are likely still inside the state and warned friends and loved ones not to help them remain at large.
“Those people helping these inmates avoid recapture will be held accountable,” warned Jonathan Tapp, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans office.
He added: “These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they’re back in custody we should all remain vigilant.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is leading the investigation into how Friday’s escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center, which serves as New Orleans’ city jail, took place.
“My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won’t happen again,” Murrill said in a statement Friday. “This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability.”
The escapees took advantage of broken locks to get out of their cells before exiting the facility via a makeshift, rectangular hole behind a cell’s toilet and sink fixture, authorities said.
As seen in photos provided by the sheriff’s office, messages written on the wall around the opening included, “To Easy Lol.”
An 8:30 a.m. Friday headcount revealed the 10 were gone, officials said, and the manhunt began. NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans reported that, despite its questions about the escape shortly before 10 a.m., the public wasn’t notified until 11 a.m. — after it broke the story.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said Friday that the escapees may have been helped by people “inside of our department.” By the end of that day, three employees had been placed on leave without pay pending investigation.
However, on Sunday, Landry spread blame for the escape to what he called New Orleans’ “progressive” justice system, including prosecutors he said failed to properly charge some of the inmates with crimes that may have triggered their transfer to state facilities.
Additionally, the governor said, nine of the 10 escapees were awaiting trial that would have moved them to more secure state custody. “There is no excuse for how these cases are allegedly being mismanaged,” he said.
Landry said he has ordered an audit of the jail and directed the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections to pull any state inmates from the New Orleans facility.
