The final inmate on the run who escaped from a New Orleans jail five months ago has finally been caught.
Derrick Groves was captured at a residence in Atlanta by US Marshals. A video of him handcuffed, blowing a kiss to the person behind the camera, has gone viral online.
Groves had broken out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16, along with nine other inmates.
Fair said a Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans tip and “follow-up investigative work” led officials to Groves’ location. “It took almost three hours to locate him in the house, gas had to be deployed into the house multiple times by (the) Atlanta Police Department’s SWAT team, and he was ultimately located hiding in a crawl space,” Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies arrested New Orleans jail escapee Derrick Groves following a standoff at a home in SW Atlanta after receiving a tip that led to his recapture. Groves was one of ten inmates who escaped from the New Orleans jail on May 16. pic.twitter.com/P9hNkOZlHN
— ATF New Orleans (@ATFNewOrleans) October 8, 2025
New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams called Groves’ escape “a serious breach of public safety and a historic failure of custodial security.”
Groves, 28, was convicted of murdering two men on Mardi Gras 2018 and was awaiting sentencing when he fled. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said he was one of the gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style rifles “on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering.”
The Atlanta Police Department released footage of New Orleans fugitive
— VIBE Magazine (@VibeMagazine) October 8, 2025
Derrick Groves blowing a kiss as he was being placed into the back of a patrol car. pic.twitter.com/lTIiIBFmOP
According to the district attorney’s office, Groves was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, charges that carry a life sentence.
