Washington [US], May 17: A total of 10 inmates escaped from a prison in New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) in the early morning of May 16 (local time). Not long after, one prisoner was discovered hiding under a car in an area that is usually crowded with tourists, according to AFP on May 17.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said the escape took place after midnight, when inmates drilled through the wall behind the toilet, crossed the prison grounds and jumped over the wall to escape the facility.
Security cameras showed the inmates using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire while trying to climb over the wall. They then tore off their prison uniforms and changed into other clothes nearby.
It was not until 8:30 a.m. on May 16 that the prison break was discovered during a prisoner count.
Local media reported that some of the inmates were convicted of murder. A photo taken inside the cell showed a rectangular hole and graffiti on the wall with messages such as "we are innocent", "we are out", and "it's easy".
Sheriff Susan Hutson said at a press conference that the escape took place with the complicity of internal prison guards, calling it an "extremely serious and unacceptable situation."
Three prison staff have been suspended pending investigation.
At the time of Thanh Nien's report, the second escaped prisoner was caught thanks to clues provided by the public to the police. This person, Robert Moody, 21 years old, was arrested for illegal possession of weapons, possession of drugs, assault and obstruction of law enforcement
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
