BURSTNEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Derrick Groves, the last New Orleans escapee still on the run after breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center nearly five months ago, has been captured, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Groves was taken into custody in Atlanta following a brief standoff, according to Louisiana State Police.
A SWAT team spent multiple hours searching house for Groves after obtaining a search warrant, Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair said.
“They couldn’t find him, they had to deploy gas multiple times into the house and basement,” Fair said. “Based on how long it took a seasoned, well-trained SWAT team to get him out, he had planned to hide for a while.”
Groves was eventually located by a police dog that was sent in to get him, Atlanta police Deputy Chief Kelley Collier said.
Shirtless, shoeless and shackled at his wrists and ankles, Groves blew a kiss then grinned at someone filming him being led into a police car, in video provided by the Atlanta Police Department (APD).
The tip leading to his capture came in via New Orleans Crimestoppers, an anonymous tip program, Fair said. Groves was the only person in the house and no one else was arrested.
The home's garage door could be seen collapsed inward Wednesday afternoon, as officers and vehicles blocked off access to the scene. Atop a sloping lawn and surrounded by trees, the brick house is in a neighborhood beside Tyler Perry Studios, one of the country's largest movie production facilities.
The 28-year-old was one of 10 inmates who escaped the facility on the morning of May 16, through a hole cut in the wall behind the toilet in a first-floor cell.
Groves had been convicted of murder and was facing a possible life sentence. He had the most violent criminal record of the escapees and authorities offered a $50,000 reward for tips leading to his recapture.
"Convicted murderer Derrick Groves has finally been recaptured in Atlanta after a brief stand-off," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement. "He now faces charges for his role in the escape and I will ensure that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
It was not immediately known whether Groves has a lawyer who could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Authorities said the arrest followed a joint effort involving numerous Louisiana enforcement agencies, APD, the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The nine other recaptured escapees, Jermaine Donald, Antoine Massey, Robert Moody, Kendell Myles, Gary Price, Dkenan Dennis, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, and Corey Boyd, have been transported to Angola Prison, Nexstar's WGNO reports.
Many of the men were originally in the New Orleans jail, awaiting sentences or trials, for alleged violent crimes including murder. Groves had been convicted of second-degree murder in 2024 for opening fire on a family block party on Mardi Gras day, killing two people and injuring others. He faces life imprisonment without parole.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.