Final Prison Escapee, Derrick Groves

Derrick Groves, the final fugitive of 10 men who executed a brazen escape from a New Orleans prison in May, was captured in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, ending a months-long multi-agency manhunt.

The group broke out of the Orleans Parish Justice Center on May 16, climbing through a hole behind a toilet, scaling a fence, and crossing an interstate. Taunting messages, including “To easy LoL,” were scrawled on the bathroom wall they breached. Three inmates were quickly recaptured, and by late June, only two—Groves and Antoine Massey—remained at large. Massey was apprehended six weeks later, leaving the convicted murderer, 28-year-old Groves, as the sole escapee.

The task force pursuing the fugitives learned in early October that Groves was likely hiding in the Atlanta area. Through search warrants and other investigative means, they traced him to a residence in southwest Atlanta.

On Thursday, a team including Police, U.S. Marshals, and a SWAT unit executed the warrants. Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Kelley Collier stated that after a brief standoff, gas canisters were deployed to move Groves. A K-9 unit eventually located him in the crawl space of the home’s basement. No one else was found inside the residence during the apprehension.

Following the successful capture, a video shared by the Atlanta Police Department showed Groves being led to a cruiser, where he blew a kiss at the camera. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry celebrated the news on social media, writing: “You picked the wrong State. Thank you to our incredible law enforcement officials… who worked tirelessly to put each of these men back where they belong: BEHIND BARS.”