Latest news with #NOLA.com
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
New Orleans jail escapee posts social media video proclaiming innocence
A purported New Orleans jail escapee asked President Donald Trump and "the world" for help to get a defense lawyer to prove his innocence, in a social media video posted on Tuesday. Antoine Massey is one of two fugitives still at large from the May 16 jailbreak, when 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center. The other eight have been recaptured. "I'm asking for help from the world, from ... Donald Trump," the man says in the video, identifying himself as Massey. He also appealed to celebrities Kim Kardashian and Lil Wayne, among others. "They say that I broke out. I didn't break out. I was let out," he said. Massey, 32, who is accused of several crimes including rape and kidnapping, broke out of jail on two prior occasions, and two other times cut off an ankle monitor, reported, citing authorities. The same news website, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, said the video was recorded at a family home less than three miles (5 km) from the jail. Police searched the home but Massey was not there, reported. At least eight people have been arrested on suspicion of aiding the escape, including one person accused of aiding Massey. One of those suspects is a maintenance worker at the jail who admitted he turned off the water supply to a cell at the request of one inmate, who then tore a sink and toilet from the wall and fled through the hole, officials said. Other alleged conspirators were accused of providing transportation or money or being accessories after the fact, state police said. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said in a statement her office was aware of the video "that appears to show Antoine Massey." "If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities," the sheriff said. Reuters could not verify the video's authenticity, but face tattoos and facial hair on the man in the video seem to match those from a photo of Massey released by the sheriff's office. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Man who claims to be New Orleans jail escapee says plan wasn't his
Man who claims to be New Orleans jail escapee says plan wasn't his Show Caption Hide Caption New Orleans escapees arrested in Texas, police body cam footage shows Two New Orleans escapees Jermaine Donald and Leo Tate, were captured in Texas, according to Huntsville Police Department. Authorities are investigating whether one of the two inmates still on the run after last month's New Orleans jail escape posted a social media video, claiming the jailbreak wasn't his idea. On May 16, a total of 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish jail through a hole in a wall left by a ripped-away toilet and sink unit, officials said. Police have since captured eight of the men, leaving both Antoine Massey, 32, and Derrick Groves, 27, at large. An Instagram video posted Sunday, June 1 appears to have been from Massey, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune and local station WVUE. In the video, a man who identified himself as Massey dismissed rumors that he was the mastermind behind the jail break. a web site operated by the Times-Picayune, quoted a deputy U.S. marshal and another source, confirming authorities were investigating the video. "I'm one of the ones that was let out of Orleans Parish jail where they said I escaped, right?' he said speaking directly to the camera wearing the same facial tattoos as Massey. "They say that I broke out. I didn't break out. I was let out." The man in the video also proclaimed his innocence and said he fled the Orleans Parish jail to avoid being charged for a crime he did not commit, reported. "The reason why I left the jail is because these people were trying to give me a life sentence in both parishes for something that I did not do," the man said in the video. The post, which is no longer available as of Monday, June 2, was shared by an account named "@_007chucky" that is no longer searchable, WVUE reported. USA TODAY has reached out to the officials with the U.S Marshall, FBI and the New Orleans Police Department for comment. Man rejects statements from arrested jail maintenance worker The man in the video also said not to believe jail maintenance worker Sterling Williams, 33, the reported. Williams told police one of the inmates threatened to stab him with a homemade knife known as a "shank," according to an arrest affidavit for Williams. WVUE reported that the man said in the video that he never tried to "shank" Williams. Williams was arrested in connection with the prison escape and is accused of being in contact with the escapees alongside several others. He is charged with being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office. Williams allegedly admitted he shut off the water to a cell after one of the inmates requested so, allowing them to escape through the ripped out a toilet and sink unit, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said last month. Michael Kennedy, a lawyer for Sterling Williams, told USA TODAY last week that his client didn't know about the escape plan and only shut down the water because of a clogged toilet. Why was Massey in jail? Massey is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation. He's also charged with theft of a motor vehicle, Orleans Parish records show. A warrant for his arrest in St. Tammany Parish shows he is wanted for second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation and violation of a protective order involving battery stemming from a November incident, a spokesperson for the parish sheriff's office confirmed with USA TODAY. He is wanted alongside Groves, who last October was convicted of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in connection to a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting. Three of the escaped inmates were recaptured by the end May 16, the same day as the escape. A week later, two more were found. Within two weeks, authorities had caught all except Groves and Massey. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of either of them. Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, John Bacon, Thao Nguyen, Jorge L. Ortiz, and N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
The Hill
24-05-2025
- The Hill
Controversial cameras may offer clues in NOLA jailbreak
NEW ORLEANS — A nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement investigations through surveillance camera systems says it assisted New Orleans police with the capture of at least two of the 10 inmates who escaped from a local prison last week. Project N.O.L.A. operates around 5,000 cameras around the downtown district, including 200 that include facial recognition technology, the organization said. The camera system picked up footage of two of the escapees in the French Quarter hours after the jailbreak. Bryan Lagarde, the executive director of Project N.O.L.A., told NewsNation that if the camera system's facial recognition technology detects someone who is wanted by police, an instant alert is sent to nearby law enforcement agents that someone who is possibly being sought may be in a particular area. As tips are dispatched to police or other local, state or federal authorities, either other police officials or Project N.O.L.A. employees can pull up the camera's footage to determine whether the person is still in the vicinity. 'It's a lot of watching involved,' Lagarde said. However, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told that despite the nonprofit's claims that the camera system helped lead police to two of the escapees, her department did not receive any alerts about the possible location of the inmates. The news outlet reported that Kirkpatrick suspended use of the system in April and said that a 2022 city ordinance places limits on the department's reliance on facial recognition technology. The ordinance states that police must exhaust all other methods of investigation and then seek a supervisor's permission to use the technology. New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is seen at the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club's 2025 Zulu Parade on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by) The outlet reported that the department had been receiving real-time alerts from Project N.O.L.A. since 2022 but then stopped receiving them last month under Kirkpatrick's orders. In a statement from a police spokesperson, the department told that Kirkpatrick only recently learned that the department was receiving real-time alerts and suspended the system once she learned it was being used. However, emails obtained by NewsNation show Kirkpatrick had been in communication with Lagarde about the group's cameras as early as 2022. Kirkpatrick told NewsNation on Friday that she recently learned that some officers may have been using Project N.O.L.A.'s mobile app, which may have put the department in violation of the city ordinance. She said that because Project N.O.L.A. is a private organization, the department was in the process of determining whether their cameras were included in the ordinance involving facial recognition. The police chief said she suspended the use of the service to give the department time to determine whether using the Project N.O.L.A. technology was outside of the city ordinance's boundaries. She said that officials were in the process of writing an updated version of the city ordinance when the jailbreak occurred. 'We simply were pausing (the use of the technology) to make sure we were clearly within the ordinance of the city,' Kirkpatrick said. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said that the facial recognition aspect of the system violates a person's right to privacy and their security. Since last week's jailbreak, five of the 10 inmates have been captured, and five other people have been arrested for assisting the inmates. Police are still actively searching for the remaining escaped inmates but acknowledge that they may be out of the state by now. However, all of the inmates who have been captured were apprehended within 10 miles of the New Orleans city limits. Kirkpatrick told NewsNation on Friday that investigators have actionable intelligence that three of the five inmates who remain at large are still in the greater New Orleans area and that the remaining two may be outside of Louisiana.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Controversial cameras may offer clues in NOLA jailbreak
NEW ORLEANS (NewsNation) — A nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement investigations through surveillance camera systems says it assisted New Orleans police with the capture of at least two of the 10 inmates who escaped from a local prison last week. Project N.O.L.A. operates around 5,000 cameras around the downtown district, including 200 that include facial recognition technology, the organization said. The camera system picked up footage of two of the escapees in the French Quarter hours after the jailbreak. Bryan Lagarde, the executive director of Project N.O.L.A., told NewsNation that if the camera system's facial recognition technology detects someone who is wanted by police, an instant alert is sent to nearby police officers that someone who is possibly being sought may be in a particular area. Repeat escaped inmate sought by Louisiana deputies As tips are dispatched to police or other local, state or federal authorities, either other police officials or Project N.O.L.A. employees can pull up the camera's footage to determine whether the person is still in the vicinity. 'It's a lot of watching involved,' Lagarde said. However, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told that despite the nonprofit's claims that the camera system helped lead police to two of the escapees, her department did not receive any alerts about the possible location of the inmates. The news outlet reported that Kirkpatrick suspended use of the system in April and said that a 2022 city ordinance places limits on the department's reliance on facial recognition technology. The ordinance states that police must exhaust all other methods of investigation and then seek a supervisor's permission to use the technology. The outlet reported that the department had been receiving real-time alerts from Project N.O.L.A. since 2022 but then stopped receiving them last month under Kirkpatrick's orders. In a statement from a police spokesperson, the department told that Kirkpatrick only recently learned that the department was receiving real-time alerts and suspended the system once she learned it was being used. Chicago Jewish leaders condemn Israeli Embassy staffers shooting However, emails obtained by NewsNation show Kirkpatrick had been in communication with Lagarde about Project N.O.L.A.'s cameras as early as 2022. Kirkpatrick told NewsNation on Friday that she recently learned that some officers may have been using Project N.O.L.A.'s mobile app, which may have put the department in violation of the city ordinance. She said that because Project N.O.L.A. is a private organization, the department was in the process of determining whether their cameras were included in the ordinance involving facial recognition. The police chief said she suspended the use of the service to give the department time to determine whether using the Project N.O.L.A. technology was outside of the city ordinance's boundaries. She said that officials were in the process of writing an updated version of the city ordinance when the jailbreak occurred. 'We simply were pausing (the use of the technology) to make sure we were clearly within the ordinance of the city,' Kirkpatrick told NewsNation. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has said that the facial recognition aspect of the system violates a person's right to privacy and their security. Since last week's jailbreak, five of the 10 inmates have been captured, and five other people have been arrested for assisting the inmates. Police are still actively searching for the remaining escaped inmates but acknowledge that they may be out of the state by now. However, all of the inmates who have been captured were apprehended within 10 miles of the New Orleans city limits. Kirkpatrick told NewsNation on Friday that investigators have actionable intelligence that three of the five inmates who remain at large are still in the greater New Orleans area and that the remaining two may be outside of Louisiana. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
WrestleMania 42 location: Top choices for where WWE could possibly hold event in 2026
WrestleMania 42 location: Top choices for where WWE could possibly hold event in 2026 Show Caption Hide Caption WrestleMania 41: John Cena makes history, highlights star-studded WWE weekend John Cena makes history in his heavyweight match against Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman was the x-factor in the triple threat match, and more surprises from WrestleMania41. WrestleMania 42 needs a new home. All plans for the 2026 edition of WWE's flagship event have been scrapped with the news of it no longer taking place in New Orleans April 11-12. Instead, the city will get Money in the Bank 2026 and a future WrestleMania at a later date. The news comes as a shock given it was revealed in February New Orleans would be the host city. Often compared to the Super Bowl, WrestleMania brings wrestling fans from all around the world to not only take part of WWE's two-night extravaganza, but the several events and experiences that happen in the city as part of WrestleMania weekend. WWE hasn't announced the new location and it could already have a new city in mind for WrestleMania 42, but with the event scheduled to take place in less than 11 months, fans will want to know where it will be and begin the planning process to takeover the city. There are several top contenders of who can step up and take the hosting duties. Las Vegas Could the Sin City get a second straight year of hosting WrestleMania? reported Las Vegas is a leading contender to have WrestleMania 42 after it had WrestleMania 41 in 2025. It would mark the first time a city got the event in back-to-back years since WrestleMania 4 and 5 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Consecutive years aside, Las Vegas is the ideal location for WWE given all the space it has to have multiple events. It took over the Las Vegas Strip, and the close proximity of it all greatly helped have the biggest WrestleMania weekend to date. It's a top tourism destination, and it would remain that way in 2026. TKO Group Holdings, owner of WWE, also owns UFC, which essentially lives in Las Vegas. WrestleMania 41 was a massive success in terms of attendance, merchandise sales and hospitality experiences. Not only did WWE generate millions of dollars from it, but so did Las Vegas. The potential earnings from having the event there again could be too enticing for both sides to pass up. If Las Vegas gets WrestleMania again, however, there will certainly be disappointment from fans for not showcasing a different city. It will feel like WWE is prioritizing money over fans, especially with how many complaints there were about the cost of attending this year's edition, and like WWE is slowly turning into UFC. Prices would likely be the same − if not more − which could price out people. London This will be the top − and highly debatable − choice for WrestleMania 42. London mayor Sadiq Khan has not shied away from his desire to host a WrestleMania, and with the 2026 location now open, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him pounce on the opportunity to make a pitch. London has plenty of large stadiums to select as the venue, but the top choice would be the 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium, which could reach more than 100,000 with WrestleMania. An international WrestleMania would undoubtedly be a success, as it make it easier for European citizens and a majority of international fans the chance to experience WrestleMania for the first time. Its long been the consensus preferred location to host in the continent. Mix that in with how electric European crowds are at wrestling events, and it has the potential to be the most electric atmosphere in WrestleMania history. While appealing, it's a big gamble. WrestleMania has never left the U.S. outside of Toronto in 1990 and 2002. American fans are the priority fanbase, and would a large amount of them be willing to go across the pond? There certainly would be issues with not just the travel, but fans might not be on board with a 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT start time. All first-world problems, but still something WWE has to consider going international. Indianapolis Other than New Orleans, only one other city is guaranteed a WrestleMania and that is Indianapolis. WWE has a deal with the city that got it Royal Rumble 2025 and a future WrestleMania. Royal Rumble was a success at Lucas Oil Stadium and the home of the Indianapolis Colts would certainly host WrestleMania. The indoor stadium wipes out any concern of frigid conditions like WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, which was so cold WWE decided to not do East Coast outdoor stadiums for the foreseeable future. Plus, the city has experience with hosting mega events like the Super Bowl and Final Four. However, what could take Indianapolis out of the running will be the men's basketball championship. The 2026 men's Final Four will be held at the stadium April 4 and 6, and if WrestleMania kept the original date of April 11 and 12, less than a week would be too little time to prepare the stadium with the stellar stage the event is known for. It would have to be pushed back at least a week to April 18-19, or may just have to wait another year. Houston It's been 16 years since WrestleMania took place in Houston, and the Texas city could make a run to get the event back at NRG Stadium. The venue has a retractable roof that could greatly benefit the presentation of WrestleMania. It has taken on several major events like the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff national championship and Final Four since WWE last visited the venue. It's also slated to host 2026 World Cup matches, proving it is capable of handling the crowd for a weekend. What could help Houston get the winning bid is the influence of Travis Scott, who has made appearances this year and has hinted at having matches in the future. WWE chief content officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque has shown great appreciation for Scott's work, and the rapper could help persuade him to bring the event back to H-Town. Orlando WWE has loved hosting WrestleMania in Florida in recent years, with the event being in the state four times since 2008 − not including the WWE Performance Center in 2020 due to COVID-19. Since Tampa hosted in 2021, Orlando would be the best pick for the Sunshine State to host. Camping World Stadium would be the choice, serving as the location for WrestleMania 24 in 2008 and WrestleMania 33 in 2017, and WrestleMania 42 in 2026 would coincidentally a follow nine-year timeline of the venue hosting. It was a success when WWE went with the stadium and the venue is remembered for having some of the best WrestleMania stages. Weather wouldn't be a total issue with the outdoor space, unless rain and storms got in the way. Plus with Kia Center less than two miles away, it is optimal to have all of WWE's WrestleMania weekend events taking place in close proximity. Saudi Arabia This will be an extremely unpopular pick, but Saudi Arabia getting the nod can't be ruled out. WWE has a 10-year agreement with the country's sports authority to bring events to the country. It seemed like Saudi would just get Crown Jewel and Night of Champions, but WWE proved its commitment to the country by bringing Royal Rumble 2026 to Riyadh. If WWE is willing to bring a major event like Royal Rumble to Saudi, nothing would stop it from bringing WrestleMania too. There's a glaring issue with it given the "sportswashing" being done in the country. There was outrage when Royal Rumble was announced, and there would be even bigger problems if the biggest wrestling event in the world went there as well. If this move happened, it would create an ugly storm WWE would have to crawl itself out of.
