Additional Coverage:
Last New Orleans Jail Escapee Captured in Atlanta After Five-Month Manhunt
Atlanta, GA – Derrick Groves, the final inmate from a brazen jailbreak in New Orleans in mid-May, was apprehended Wednesday afternoon in an Atlanta home, concluding a five-month federal manhunt. Groves, who was convicted of a 2018 double murder, was discovered hiding in a crawl space following a crucial tip to authorities.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair of the Eastern District of Louisiana confirmed Groves’ arrest shortly after 2 p.m.
ET. The capture was the result of a coordinated operation involving the U.S.
Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Atlanta Police Department SWAT team.
The breakthrough in the investigation stemmed from a Crime Stoppers Greater New Orleans tip received earlier this summer, which directed investigators to the Atlanta area. Fair declined to specify the exact timing of the tip, citing safety concerns and the need to protect the informant.
“We’ve been receiving tips all summer,” he said. “We don’t want to get somebody hurt or anything, so we’re not putting the exact time frame on when that tip came in.”
After weeks of follow-up investigation, marshals in Louisiana forwarded the lead to their Georgia counterparts. Officers then executed a search warrant at a home in the Atlanta area where Groves was believed to have been staying, possibly a rental property.
Initially, the house appeared empty. “Normally during our fugitive work, we have at least some signs that the person is at the house – movement, running, something,” Fair explained.
“This did not happen.”
Investigators deployed gas into the residence multiple times, including in the basement, before eventually locating Groves concealed within a narrow crawl space. “Ultimately, they found him hiding in a crawl space,” Fair stated.
“I believe that crawl space was in the basement… and he had put some thought and work into the hiding space he was in.” Fair noted that Groves appeared “prepared to hide for the long haul” and may have reinforced the space himself.
Groves was taken into custody without injury, and no weapons were recovered at the scene. A further search of the residence is currently underway.
Authorities are still actively piecing together how Groves traveled from New Orleans to Atlanta, whether he received assistance, and the duration of his stay in Georgia. “I’d probably guess [he traveled by] car, but we don’t know,” Fair said, indicating that these details would be part of the ongoing follow-up investigation now that Groves is in custody.
Groves is believed to have been a ringleader in the May 16 jailbreak from the Orleans Parish Justice Center. The audacious escape involved inmates pulling a jail cell door off its tracks, removing a toilet from an empty cell, crawling through a hole in the wall, and then scaling a fence. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson previously told local news outlets that the incident exposed significant design flaws and security failures within the decade-old jail facility.
With Groves’ capture, all ten inmates who escaped from the New Orleans jail are now back in custody. Deputy U.S. Marshal Fair credited a broad coalition of agencies for their roles in the investigation, including the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, and Atlanta Police.
Fair also highlighted the crucial role of media coverage and public engagement in maintaining attention on the case. “He was bombarded on the news for months on end,” Fair said.
“The media was a huge part of this capture. It kept him on the run and probably pretty tired all summer.”
Groves is currently booked in Fulton County, Georgia, on charges of being a fugitive from justice. He is expected to be extradited back to Louisiana, likely under the escort of Louisiana State Police, where he will face additional charges related to the escape.
“We’re just happy nobody got injured,” Fair concluded. “All 10 of the escapees are back in custody, and we’re proud of that success.”