NEW ORLEANS (AP) — All 10 fugitives brazen escape A man who was released from a New Orleans prison in May is back in custody after the last inmate still at large was arrested. captured hidden In the basement crawl space of my Atlanta home.
Derrick GrovesThe 28-year-old man was found trapped in the basement of his home Wednesday by a police dog that had been let inside, after an Atlanta Police Department SWAT team spent hours searching the home and spraying tear gas.
Nine other inmates were recaptured within six weeks of the May 16 escape, most of them in Louisiana.
A New Orleans jury last year found Groves guilty of opening fire on a family party, killing two people, in what prosecutors said was a feud with a rival drug dealer. He faces life in prison for his conviction.
A daring escape from a New Orleans prison
Mr. Groves and nine other men made a daring overnight escape by escaping through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the only guard assigned to their New Orleans prison cell went to retrieve food.
The men climbed the fence and covered themselves with blankets to avoid being cut by the barbed wire. Surveillance camera footage showed some of them sprinting across a nearby interstate and into nearby neighborhoods.
After the escape, law enforcement tracked down three escapees within 24 hours and most of the others within weeks. Some of the fugitives roam around nightlife hotspots, others Instagram postMr. Groves kept a low profile.
A tip brought authorities to his home in Atlanta.
The information leading to Groves’ arrest came in through New Orleans Crimestoppers, an anonymous tipster program, said Deputy Sheriff Brian Fair. Mr. Groves was the only person in the home; no one else was arrested.
However, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said multiple people appear to have assisted Groves and could face aiding and abetting charges.
After Groves was taken into custody, the brick home’s garage door collapsed inward and was sealed off by police. The home is located next to Tyler Perry Studios, one of the largest film production facilities in the country.
“He was going to hide for a while, considering how long it took an experienced and well-trained SWAT team to rescue him,” Fair said.
In a video provided by the Atlanta Police Department, Groves, shirtless, shoeless and with shackles on his wrists and ankles, can be seen smiling and kissing someone who is filming him being led into a police car.
Police also found a pistol and 15 pounds of marijuana inside the home, Murrill said.
Police say Grove will be sent back to Louisiana.
Groves was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon. He is charged as a fugitive, according to prison records.
Murrill said Groves is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for an extradition hearing to Louisiana.
Mr. Groves’ lawyer in Louisiana, Peter Freiberg, declined to comment late Wednesday afternoon, saying he had not yet spoken to his client.
Nine other people accused of escaping from the city jail pleaded not guilty to evading charges in July. The escape charge carries a sentence of two to five years in prison.
