05/17/2025
Ten inmates considered "armed and dangerous" escaped a New Orleans jail Friday morning, and it's believed they had inside help, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said. One inmate has been captured, and nine remain at large.
Earlier, the sheriff's office had said 11 inmates had escaped the jail but updated the count later on Friday. Keith Lewis was incorrectly identified as an escapee, Sheriff Susan Huston said during a news conference.
"There's no way for anyone to get out of this facility without help from the outside," Hutson said.
The inmates were discovered missing during a routine head count conducted at 8:30 a.m. at the Orleans Parish Jail, according to the sheriff's office. They are believed to have escaped sometime just after midnight. The sheriff said that around 12:23 a.m., the inmates yanked the sliding jail cell door off the track and at 1:01 a.m., they exited the jail after breaching a wall behind the toilet.
The toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items, the sheriff said, but didn't specify what the items were. They then scaled down a wall and ran across the interstate.
Sheriff Hutson said it's believed the escapees received help from jail staff or deputies.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said one inmate has since been apprehended in downtown New Orleans through facial recognition, caught by a surveillance camera. Louisiana State Police identified the escapee as Kendell Myles and said Myles tried to flee on foot before being apprehended "without further incident." The sheriff's office said deputies found Myles hiding beneath a car at the Hotel Monteleone parking garage. He was returned to the Orleans Parish jail and is being rebooked with a new charge of simple escape, the sheriff said.
The rest of the escapees are believed to be in New Orleans, police said. The Orleans Parish Jail was on lockdown. "A search for the individuals is currently underway, OPSO is working with local and state law enforcement agencies on the search to return them to custody," the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Kirkpatrick said during a news conference that the New Orleans police, including their violent offender warrant squad; the FBI and the U.S. Marshals joined the hunt to find the escaped inmates — all violent offenders being held on the same jail tier. The Louisiana State Police were also searching.
Police were still waiting midday Friday for a complete set of photos of the escaped inmates, Kirkpatrick said. She said they notified some victims of the escapees, several of whom are facing murder charges or other violent charges. Police removed a family from their homes and took them to safety in the wake of the jailbreak, Kirkpatrick said.
She asked the public to notify police if they were victims or witnesses at the escapees' trials so they could get help.
She said the escapees probably had help, and it was unlikely they were still in their jumpsuits.
Kirpatrick warned the public that if they harbor or help these escapees, "they will be charged."
