Fugitive in NOLA jail break captured after six weeks on the lam
Antoine Massey, 32, was arrested Friday at a home in New Orleans, according to the Louisiana State Police.
He was among ten inmates being held at the New Orleans Justice Center when they broke out of jail on May 16, an escape that wasn't noticed until more than seven hours later. It prompted a manhunt that spanned multiple states.
Eight of the ten were captured earlier, most in New Orleans and two in Texas. Earlier this month, Massey posted a social media video proclaiming his innocence.
His arrest means that only one escapee, Derrick Groves, remains on the lam. Groves, 27, was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018.
The escapes, which sent several prosecutors and victims fleeing for safety, raised questions about the jail's operations and highlighted a facility that the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said was overcrowded and in need of security upgrades.
Massey, 33, who stood out for his face tattoos of chess pieces, was in jail on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle. Officials said new charges were forthcoming.
The captures come as Louisiana authorities continue to investigate how the men were able to create a hole in a cell wall by ripping out a toilet and to escape without being noticed by guards in the early hours of May 16. Their absences were not discovered until the next morning.
Sheriff Susan Hutson, whose department operates the jail, has said the escapees appeared to have gotten help from the inside. One maintenance worker was already arrested. In addition, she said the jail suffered from underfunding and a shortage of staff.
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