Nearly a dozen inmates escaped a prison in New Orleans early Friday, with authorities warning they should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
A group of 11 men were all discovered missing during a routine headcount at the Orleans Justice Center around 8:30 a.m., Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told reporters during a press conference.
She asked for the community to “stay alert” while the sheriff’s department — in collaboration with state and federal law enforcement officers — execute a “full-scale search operation” for the missing inmates.
The charges against the escaped prisoners range from illegal weapons possession to murder, according to Newsweek.
As of Friday afternoon, Louisiana State Police had recaptured one of the escapees amid the manhunt. He was identified as Kendell Myles and was found hiding beneath a car in the parking garage of the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, less than 2 miles from the prison.
Myles was transported back to the Orleans Justice Center and rebooked on a new charge of simple escape.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said it’s “more than likely” the others had help and have changed out of their jail clothes. They include Keith Lewis, Dkenan Dennis, Gary Price, Robert Moody, Corey Boyd, Lenton VanBuren Jr., Jermaine Donald, Antoine Massey, Derrick Groves and Leo Tate Sr.
“We don’t want panic, but we do want people to be mindful,” she told reporters.
It’s still unclear how exactly the inmates managed to bust out of the detention center, which was placed on lockdown after the escape. Local Fox reporter Andrés Fuentes posted photos on social media of a hole in the wall of one of the jail cells.
Messages were written on the wall, including “To[o] easy LOL.”
Hutson described the breakout as “very serious and unacceptable” during a press conference on Friday.
“We are launching a full investigation to determine how this escape occurred, including reviewing facility protocols, staff performance and physical security measures,” she said.
