Derrick Groves, New Orleans Jail Escapee, Captured In Atlanta
Derrick Groves, Last Of The 10 New Orleans Jail Escapees, Captured In Atlanta
On Wednesday, Derrick Groves, the last of the 10 men who escaped a New Orleans jail in May, was apprehended by law enforcement officials in Atlanta.
According to WRBZ, Derrick Groves was found at a home in Atlanta, just west of Fort McPherson. Law enforcement repeatedly gassed the home before capturing Groves. Groves was by himself in the home and was apparently hiding in a crawl space. A team of U.S. Marshals and the Atlanta Police Department SWAT team spent hours searching houses in the neighborhood before finding Groves.
“They couldn’t find him; they had to deploy gas multiple times into the house and basement,” Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair told AP. “Based on how long it took a seasoned, well-trained SWAT team to get him out, he had planned to hide for a while.” Deputy Chief Kelley Collier told AP that Groves was eventually found in the home by a police dog.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry celebrated the capture on X. “All 10 escapees: CAPTURED!
“You picked the wrong State,” the post read. “Thank you to our incredible law enforcement officials from the federal, state, and local level who worked tirelessly to put each of these men back where they belong: BEHIND BARS.”
Derrick Groves was among the 10 incarcerated men who pulled off an audacious escape from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans this past May. The escapees yanked open a faulty cell door and escaped through a hole behind a toilet. They exploited various deficiencies that jail officials had complained about long before the escape happened.
In an act of true hubris, the men wrote “to easy lol” and “catch us when you can” above the hole where they escaped. The jail didn’t realize the men had escaped until they did a headcount the following morning.
Most of the escapees were captured in the immediate weeks after the escape. Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis were apprehended hours after the escape. Gary Price was captured May 19, Corey Boyd the following day, with Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate, and Lenton Vanburen all captured May 26. The most recent capture occurred in June when Antoine Massey was arrested in New Orleans.
Groves is the grandson of Kim Groves, a woman who was assassinated in 1994 at the behest of a corrupt New Orleans police officer. Groves had the most violent rap sheet of the escapees and was awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. The charges stemmed from a 2018 incident when Groves opened fire with an AK-47 during a Mardi Gras celebration. There was a $50,000 reward for information that led to Groves’ arrest. Authorities were able to find Groves due to an anonymous tip received by the New Orleans CrimeStoppers.
“I’m all messed up, I’m just trying to talk to him,” Groves’ mother, Stephanie Groves, told the Associated Press. “I’m just seeing it on the internet, I woke up to it on the internet.” Groves said she hadn’t been in contact with her son since his escape and has no idea why he was in Atlanta. “It’s just been a mess. I’m just glad it’s over with,” Groves told AP before adding, “Of course he was going to get caught.”
SEE ALSO:
Grandson Of Infamous NOPD Murder Victim Among Still At Large After Jailbreak
Louisiana Moves Child Inmates To Adult ‘Angola’ Prison
Derrick Groves, Last Of The 10 New Orleans Jail Escapees, Captured In Atlanta was originally published on newsone.com
