Latest news with #DerrickGroves
CNN
10 hours ago
- CNN
9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, sheriff's office says, one last inmate still at large
Antoine Massey, a serial escapee who vanished from a New Orleans jail with nine other inmates just after midnight on May 16, was arrested Friday afternoon in New Orleans, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said. The last remaining escapee, Derrick Groves, is still on the run after breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans over a month ago. Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Orleans Parish records. The 33-year-old was captured in a rental property in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, according to Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair. He was arrested just miles from the jail where Massey and the other inmates made their brazen escape, taking advantage of bad locks, stolen bedding and a hungry jail employee, and using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls. Massey was taken into custody without incident after being surrounded on Friday afternoon, according to the US Marshals. It was 'peaceful,' Fair told CNN. 'After receiving a tip, follow-up work was done and lead directly to the arrest today,' Fair told CNN. Massey has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to Early in June, authorities raided a home after a video showed a man claiming to be Massey saying he was innocent. In the video, the man claiming to be Massey appealed to Lil Wayne for help and held a document to the camera – what he says is a stamped affidavit that proves his innocence. He claimed his ex-girlfriend, Diamond White, recanted her allegation of abuse in the affidavit. White has not responded to CNN's earlier request for comment. She was arrested after allegedly helping Massey after his escape, Louisiana State Police announced May 26. Convicted murderer still at large Groves, the inmate still at large, was convicted in October of killing two people in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to battery of a corrections officer. New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick addressed Groves directly at a Friday news conference. 'We are going to capture you,' she said. 'You will be taken into custody, but you still have the option to peacefully turn yourself in, and we will make an appeal to you to do so.' 'The public defender is ready to meet you and to be with you from the very moment you choose to turn yourself in,' she added. Groves' case went to trial four separate times, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office detailed in a news release about the conviction. He was determined to be one of two gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' according to the DA's office. A woman believed to be Groves' current girlfriend, Darriana Burton, was arrested earlier in June for allegedly helping him escape. She had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape, according to authorities. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to Groves' capture, offered by Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans, the FBI and other agencies. 'Just like we found Mr. Massey today, we will find Mr. Groves,' Chief Deputy US Marshal Walter Martin said at the Friday news conference. 'We'll continue our efforts.' He encouraged anyone with information about Groves' whereabouts to alert authorities. 'You can remain anonymous, but we need your help,' Martin said. 'Collectively, we will not rest, even if it takes another six days or another six weeks until the last fugitive is in custody.'
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Authorities arrest fugitive who police say posted on social media following New Orleans jailbreak
Louisiana authorities captured on Friday one of the 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail six weeks ago and who police say released videos on social media while still on the run. Antoine Massey, 33, was taken into custody at a residence in New Orleans about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the jail, said New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. 'He actually walked out of a home peacefully,' Kirkpatrick said. 'He peacefully gave up to law enforcement who had surrounded the house.' Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said she had received a tip Friday morning and immediately notified other law enforcement authorities, who arrested Massey by midafternoon. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges said authorities were still investigating how Massey was able to stay at the residence where he was recaptured. 'It's pretty obvious over the last six weeks to remain a fugitive that long, he had assistance, he had help,' Hodges said. Authorities had recently investigated social media posts by a man who identified himself as Massey and earlier this month raided a New Orleans home where they believed the videos were produced but did not find him. 'Great work by all our law enforcement partners who have been working so hard for this outcome,' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said after Massey's capture Friday. 'One more to go!' Authorities are still searching for convicted murderer Derrick Groves. Police previously captured the other eight escapees following the May 16 jailbreak, one of the largest in recent U.S. history. Authorities said the men yanked open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans jail, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed-wire fence and fled into the dark. The men's absence wasn't discovered until a morning headcount, hours after they bolted for freedom. Authorities found a message drawn around the hole the men used to escape: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words 'To Easy LoL.' Officials have pointed to multiple security lapses in the jail, but authorities remain adamant that the men also had likely had help. A maintenance worker at the jail was arrested for allegedly helping the men escape by turning off the water to the toilet where the hole was cut behind. His lawyer says he has denied knowingly aiding them. Massey faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order, authorities in nearby St. Tammany Parish said. In Orleans Parish, he faced charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic battery. Murrill said Massey will face additional charges for his role in the escape. A woman police identified as being in an on-again, off-again relationship with Massey was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and as a principal to aggravated escape, court records show. Authorities said the woman knew of Massey's escape plans beforehand, communicated with him afterward and misled authorities. A $50,000 reward remains for tips leading to Groves' recapture, authorities said. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fugitive in NOLA jail break captured after six weeks on the lam
Authorities in Louisiana have captured one of the last two remaining fugitives still on the loose after a brazen jailbreak in New Orleans nearly six weeks earlier. Antoine Massey, 32, was arrested Friday at a home in New Orleans, according to the Louisiana State Police. He was among ten inmates being held at the New Orleans Justice Center when they broke out of jail on May 16, an escape that wasn't noticed until more than seven hours later. It prompted a manhunt that spanned multiple states. Eight of the ten were captured earlier, most in New Orleans and two in Texas. Earlier this month, Massey posted a social media video proclaiming his innocence. Massey, 33, who stood out for his face tattoos of chess pieces, was in jail on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle. Officials said new charges were forthcoming. His arrest means that only one escapee, Derrick Groves, remains on the lam. Groves, 27, was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018. "Great work by all our law enforcement partners who have been working so hard for this outcome. 1 more to go!' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on social media. New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick urged Groves to turn himself in. Either way, she said, 'You will be taken into custody.' The escapes, which sent several prosecutors and victims fleeing for safety, raised questions about the jail's operations and highlighted a facility that the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said was overcrowded and in need of security upgrades. Sheriff Susan Hutson, whose department operates the jail and has faced intense scrutiny over the escapes, personally received the tip Friday morning that led to the arrest. "This is a major step forward in our efforts to restore order and accountability after this serious incident," she said at a news conference in New Orleans. Authorities had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the fugitives' arrest. Massey had been hiding in a home in a New Orleans neighborhood that is less than two miles from the jail. He peacefully gave up when police surrounded it around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, authorities said. Police are still examining who might have been helping him. The captures come as Louisiana authorities continue to investigate how the men were able to create a hole in a cell wall by ripping out a toilet and to escape without being noticed by guards in the early hours of May 16. Their absences were not discovered until the next morning. Hutson has said the escapees appeared to have gotten help from the inside. One maintenance worker was already arrested. In addition, she said the jail suffered from underfunding and a shortage of staff. Her critics have blamed mismanagement. On Friday, she noted that the jail was already working to secure locks and add razor wire and other security measures as part of a larger effort to improve the facility. The Louisiana State Police said Massey would be transported to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the state's oldest and only maximum-security prison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fugitive in NOLA jail break captured after six weeks on the lam
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, sheriff's office says, one last inmate still at large
Antoine Massey, a serial escapee who vanished from a New Orleans jail with nine other inmates just after midnight on May 16, has been apprehended in New Orleans, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said Friday. The last remaining escapee, Derrick Groves, is still on the run after breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans over a month ago. Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Orleans Parish records. The 33-year-old was captured in a rental property in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, according to Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair. The location is just miles from the jail where Massey and the other inmates made their brazen escape, taking advantage of bad locks, stolen bedding and a hungry jail employee, and using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls. Massey was taken into custody without incident after being surrounded on Friday afternoon, according to the US Marshals. It was 'peaceful,' Fair told CNN. 'After receiving a tip, follow-up work was done and lead directly to the arrest today,' Fair told CNN. The 33-year-old has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to Early in June, authorities raided a home after a video showed a man claiming to be Massey saying he was innocent. In the video, the man claiming to be Massey appealed to Lil Wayne for help and held a document to the camera – what he says is a stamped affidavit that proves his innocence. He claimed his ex-girlfriend, Diamond White, recanted her allegation of abuse in the affidavit. White has not responded to CNN's earlier request for comment. She was arrested after allegedly helping Massey after his escape, Louisiana State Police announced May 26. Groves, the inmate still at large, was convicted in October of killing two people in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to battery of a corrections officer. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Holly Yan contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Antoine Massey is captured by police after breaking out of New Orleans jail with nine other inmates
A serial-escapee who fled a jail in New Orleans has been apprehended over a month after he escaped along with nine other inmates. Antoine Massey, 33, was arrested in New Orleans on Friday, leaving only Derrick Groves as the last escapee on the run. He was captured in a rental property in the Hollygrove neighborhood in the Louisiana city, just miles from where he made his brazen escape on May 16. Authorities said Massey was taken into custody without incident after New Orleans cops surrounded him. Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN that it was a 'peaceful' arrest, with an image from the detainment showing two heavily armed cops escorting a handcuffed Massey into custody. Fair said that Massey's arrest came after investigators 'received a tip.' During his six weeks on the run, Massey taunted cops as he shared videos to Instagram saying he was 'let out' of the jail, and pleaded with President Trump to pardon him. The group's escape captured headlines as they taunted prison staff by writing 'too easy' on the wall as they slipped out of a cell toilet block before footage showed them sprinting to freedom. Authorities had previously raided a home earlier this month following Massey's taunting Instagram video, but did not find the fugitive. Massey has a long rap sheet that includes several prison escapes, including one in 2007 when he broke out of a juvenile detention center after being arrested for armed robbery and aggravated assault. He was most recently in jail for alleged vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation. In his Instagram videos while on the lam, Massey insisted he was innocent and held a document to the camera alleging that it was a stamped affidavit showing his ex-girlfriend Diamond White recanted her domestic abuse allegations. White was subsequently arrested following Massey's escape as investigators alleged that she helped him evade the law. With Massey back in custody, Groves remains the last of the 10 escapees to be at large. He was convicted in October of killing two people in 2018.
