Ten inmates escaped from a New Orleans prison in the United States on Friday while the guard in charge of their cell was away, authorities said.
Three fugitives have since been found, and the others, including those who committed the murders, are still on the run, possibly aided by people from the penal institution, according to the local sheriff.
Surveillance footage shown during the press conference showed the escapees running from the prison, some in orange prison jumpsuits and others in white clothing. They jumped over fences using blankets to avoid being cut by the barbed wire, and some were seen running across a nearby highway and into a nearby neighborhood.
A video obtained by the AP from police shows a hole in the cell through which the prisoners escaped. Above it are messages written, including "Too easy LoL," with an arrow pointing at the hole.
The disappearance of the 10 prisoners went unnoticed for hours. It was only during a routine morning roll call at around 8.30:XNUMX, more than seven hours after the escape, that police learned of it.
Sheriff's officials said there were no officers in the unit where the fugitives were being held. There was a technician, a civilian assigned to monitor the detention unit, but she had gone to get food, they said.
Shortly after the escape, one of the inmates, Kendall Miles, 20, was captured after a short chase through the Latin Quarter in New Orleans. He had previously escaped from juvenile detention centers twice. By Friday evening, two other escapees had been captured.
Sheriff Susan Hutson said there are indications that individuals in her department helped the prisoners escape.
"It's almost impossible, not completely but almost impossible for anyone to escape this facility without help," she said, referring to the prison that holds 1.400 inmates.
The escapees opened the door to enter the cell with the hole around 1 a.m. At least one of the steel bars protecting the water pipes appeared to have been deliberately cut, the New Orleans Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The escapees discarded their prison uniforms when they were released and it is not yet clear how some of them were able to get into regular clothes so quickly, officials said.
Authorities didn't notice they were missing until 8.30:XNUMX a.m.
Three employees have been suspended while the investigation continues. It is unclear whether any of the employees are suspected of aiding the escape.
The New Orleans attorney general called the escape "beyond unacceptable" and said local authorities waited too long to notify the public.
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