Trending 
Seven inmates remain on the run following a dramatic jailbreak in Louisiana that went undetected for hours, prompting heightened security alerts in nearby New Orleans, a major tourist destination.
The escape, which took place in the early hours of Friday morning, involved 10 detainees in total. While three have since been recaptured, seven managed to evade capture over the weekend, sparking a nationwide manhunt. Authorities believe the escape may have been aided by prison staff.
CCTV footage released by the sheriff’s department shows the inmates prying open a cell door shortly after midnight before bolting through a loading dock and scaling the prison’s perimeter wall. They used bedding to shield themselves from barbed wire during the climb.
Images taken from inside the cell reveal a gaping hole in the wall where a metal toilet had been removed. Graffiti above the hole reads, “We are innocent,” “We are out,” and “Too easy LOL,” highlighting the apparent ease with which the inmates escaped.
Their absence wasn’t noticed until a standard headcount was conducted at 8:30 am, giving the escapees more than eight hours to flee.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told local media that with such a significant head start, the fugitives “could frankly be anywhere across the country.”
One of the men was arrested later that same morning, discovered hiding under a car in a hotel car park in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Two more were captured later that day. The remaining seven, however, have yet to be located.
In a statement released on Friday, the sheriff’s office admitted to serious failings within the jail. Around one-third of the security cameras are reportedly not functioning, including three in the unit from which the escape occurred. In addition, locks on the cell doors were described as “defective.”
The FBI has offered a reward of $5,000 for any information leading to the capture of the fugitives, warning the public that the inmates should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
