The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office shared a timeline of the events leading up to the jail break.
NEW ORLEANS — Surveillance video captures the moment 10 inmates broke through a jail and ran towards the interstate early Friday morning.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office shared a timeline of the events leading up to the jail break. The FBI is offering $5,000 for tips that would lead to the arrest of any of the inmates.
According to OPSO, the escape began around 12:23 a.m. Friday, when detainees began tampering with a locked cell door. They managed to break it open, then breached a wall behind a toilet, escaping through a loading dock door and scaling a wall before running across the interstate. The facility was already on lockdown at the time of the breach, but defective locks and doors allowed them to leave their cells, the sheriff’s office said.
7 inmates still on the run nearly 24 hours after escape from jail in New Orleans
A correctional monitoring technician was present in the control module, but authorities say three security cameras in the unit were inoperable, preventing a clear view of the escape. Approximately one-third of the jail’s cameras are currently not working, OPSO confirmed.
Three employees have been suspended during the ongoing investigation, said Major Silas E. Phipps, Jr., Director, Compliance & Accountability Bureau for OPSO.
Thursday, May 15
10:30 p.m. – The Orleans Justice Center (OJC) is placed on lockdown.
Friday, May 16
12:23 a.m. – Inmates begin tampering with a locked cell door and manage to break it open due to defective locks, OPSO says.
After reviewing video, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said several inmates were seen on Pod 1 Delta pulling one of the sliding doors open, specifically on cell D1006.
Between 12:23 – 1:00 a.m. – Inmates breach a wall behind a toilet inside their housing unit, a location not visible to the control technician due to broken cameras.
The 10 inmates were caught on surveillance entering the cell.
1:01 a.m. – Inmates exit the jail through a loading dock door and scale a wall to flee the facility. Surveillance video confirms the escape route.
1:19 a.m.
They were seen climbing up the fence along I-10 between the OPSO jail and the current one under construction.
The inmates used blankets to avoid being cut by the barbed wire, said Major Silas E. Phipps, Jr. Director, Compliance & Accountability Bureau for OPSO.
Then they ran across the interstate and into a neighborhood. Investigators found clothing that the inmates discarded.
8:30 a.m.
OPSO jail operations staff found that several inmates on Pod 1 Delta were missing during the headcount
Jail staff immediately began a systematic search of the facility, said Major Phipps. At the time of the escape, Pod 1-D had no deputy present, and the civilian monitor had stepped away briefly for food.
“At the time of the incident there was no deputy physically on Pod 1 Delta, said Phipps. “And the technician that was assigned to the housing unit module had actually stepped away to grab food.”
8:35 a.m. – Jail leadership is notified.
By 9:30 a.m. – U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police, and Probation and Parole are alerted. NOPD is also notified via the Fusion Center.
Kendell Myles was located hiding beneath a car in a Hotel Monteleone parking garage. He was taken into custody by Louisiana State Police and rebooked for simple escape.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO) confirmed a total of 10 inmates escaped — not 11 as initially reported — and says one previously identified individual, Keith Louis, was mistakenly listed among the escapees but has since been accounted for.
7:49 p.m. Second inmate captured
A second inmate, identified as Robert Moody was captured and returned to OPSO custody, sheriff says.
Moody was caught around 7:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of Second Street after a Crime Stoppers tip came in.
OPSO arrested a third inmate, identified as Dkenan Dennis. He was captured near Chef Menteur Hwy and Dale Street hours later.
Stay with WWL Louisiana for the latest.
Click here to report a typo.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.