Latest news with #MardiGras
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, leaving just one 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. 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.' This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Holly Yan contributed to this report.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Ninth Orleans Parish jail escapee captured after six weeks on the run, one remains at large
Charges and investigation Remaining fugitive and ongoing search Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Antoine Massey, one of ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16, 2025, has been apprehended after more than six weeks as a fugitive. Massey, 33, was arrested at a residence in New Orleans on June 27 in a coordinated operation involving local, state, and federal law enforcement, including the Louisiana State Police , FBI, Department of Homeland Security , and U.S. Marshals Service The May 16 escape, described by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the worst in recent state history, involved ten inmates exploiting faulty infrastructure. The group managed to yank open a malfunctioning cell door, remove a toilet from a cell wall, and crawl through a hole behind it. After escaping through the wall, they scaled a barbed wire fence and fled the facility. The escape went undetected for more than seven hours, with jail staff discovering the missing inmates only during a morning left behind at the escape site, including the phrase "To easy LOL," highlighted the audacity of the the time of his escape, Massey was being held on charges of domestic abuse battery involving strangulation, motor vehicle theft, and parole violations. Authorities have indicated that additional charges related to the escape are likely. Massey will be transferred to a secure state correctional facility outside New jailbreak triggered a sweeping investigation. At least 16 people have been arrested for allegedly assisting the inmates, including a jail maintenance worker accused of disabling the water supply to facilitate the removal of the toilet. The maintenance worker's attorney has denied involvement, stating the water was turned off due to a clog in another cell. Several jail staff members have also been suspended pending further Massey's capture, nine of the ten escapees are now back in custody. The last remaining fugitive, Derrick Groves, 27, was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder related to a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting. Authorities continue to search for Groves, and a $50,000 reward remains for information leading to his arrest. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has publicly urged Groves to surrender peacefully, emphasizing that law enforcement will continue their efforts until he is found.
USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Sheriff Susan Hutson, whose department operates the jail, 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.
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Where is Derrick Groves? Only New Orleans inmate on the loose after Antoine Massey's capture
Derrick Groves, a 27-year-old convicted double murderer, remains the last fugitive at large following a mass escape from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans last month. On Friday, officials announced that Antoine Massey had been caught. The rest of the escapees were captured earlier this month. Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey were among inmates who escaped a New Orleans prison(X) Officials with the Louisiana State Police said Massey will be taken to a correctional facility outside the area. At the time of the escape, he was facing charges of domestic abuse battery. Groves was last seen on surveillance footage on May 16, 2025, walking down Baronne Street in New Orleans' Central Business District with Massey and recaptured escapee Lenton Vanburen Jr., hours after the 1 AM jailbreak. No confirmed sightings have been reported since. Authorities investigated tips linking Groves to Violet, Louisiana, and Bastrop, Louisiana, but he was not found in either location A June 18, 2025, search of a family home by US Marshals, prompted by suspicions of contact with relatives, also yielded no results. His aunt, Jasmine Groves, and family denied knowing his whereabouts. A law enforcement source told Fox 8 this month that there's no evidence he left Louisiana. Attorney General Liz Murrill suggested he may be hiding in other cities. Derrick Groves, convicted in October 2024 of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for a 2018 Mardi Gras double homicide, faces a life sentence without parole. He also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and battery of a correctional officer. In May, Groves and nine others escaped by exploiting faulty cell locks, removing a toilet and sink after water was shut off (allegedly by maintenance worker Sterling Williams under Massey's threat), and crawling through a wall hole, leaving a taunting 'to easy LOL' note. They scaled a barbed-wire fence and fled via a loading dock. Groves' girlfriend, Darriana Burton, a former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee, was arrested for conspiracy to commit simple escape. She allegedly coordinated via FaceTime and transported Vanburen post-escape. A $50,000 reward per fugitive (totaling $100,000 for Groves and Massey) has driven over 700 tips, with three tipsters paid for aiding recaptures.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Mardi Gras 2025: Behind the scenes of Ohakune's winter music festival
Ohakune's Mardi Gras is one of New Zealand's oldest music festivals and is expected to have around 8000 attendees for the 2025 event on Saturday, June 28. Fin Ocheduszko Brown talks with Ohakune Events Charitable Trust's Jayde Lowe to find out what goes into making it possible. Why it started
