Capture of Escaped Inmate Derrick Groves

After a five-month manhunt, the last inmate who escaped from a New Orleans prison has been apprehended in Georgia.

Derrick Groves, who fled on May 16, was arrested Wednesday when authorities responded to a tip from Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans. They found him hiding in a crawl space beneath a home in southwest Atlanta.

Police and federal marshals engaged with Groves during his capture, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair.

“It took almost three hours to find him inside the home. The Atlanta Police Department’s SWAT team had to deploy gas multiple times, but eventually, he was located,” Fair explained.

Footage released by the Atlanta police shows Groves blowing a kiss to an officer as he is escorted to a police car.

Groves was part of a group of ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center through a hole they made behind a toilet, climbing over a barbed wire fence in the process.

At the time of his escape, Groves was awaiting sentencing for two murders that occurred during the 2018 Mardi Gras. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and attempted murder, resulting in a life sentence.

He is set to appear in a Georgia court on Thursday, where he can choose to waive or challenge extradition to Louisiana. Should he opt out of waiving extradition, legal proceedings will follow to bring him back to Louisiana.

“We will explore every legal avenue to ensure Derrick Groves faces justice for his actions and the consequences he tried to evade,” New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams stated.