(NEW ORLEANS) -- Ten men escaped from a New Orleans jail on Friday, possibly with help from officials at the jail, and should be considered armed and dangerous, officials with the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office warned.
One of the inmates, Kendell Myles, has since been apprehended in the French Quarter, a tourist hot spot less than 3 miles from the Orleans Justice Center, the Louisiana State Police said. Myles is charged with attempted second-degree murder.
He was found hiding beneath a car in a hotel garage, according to officials.
Initially, officials said 11 had escaped, but officials didn't realize one had just been transferred to another cell.
Nine inmates remain at large, including four men -- Corey Boyd, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald and Derrick Groves -- who are charged with second-degree murder, officials said.
The inmates were able to break the locks on a door at 12:23 a.m. and then exited through a wall behind a toilet at 1:01 a.m. local time, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said at a press conference Friday. They then made their way off the property using a loading door, scaled the perimeter wall, from which they had a clear path to railroad tracks and then the interstate.
"We have the indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from inside our department," Hutson said.
"It's almost impossible -- not completely -- but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help from the outside," Hutson said.
The men were unaccounted for during a routine headcount at the Orleans Justice Center at 8 a.m. local time Friday, Hutson told reporters. New Orleans police officials said they were notified at 10:30 a.m.
"These folks that were able to get out did so because of defective locks on the cells," Hutson said.
"There's no way people can get out of this facility without some lapse," Hutson said. "We intend to find out exactly what happened."
Officials said they are investigating how the breach occurred, saying the inmates had to have received help, or at least some type of tool that enabled them to escape.
Four supervisors and 36 staff members were at the jail at the time of the escape, according to officials.
Hutson said the incident has highlighted the urgent need for repair of the jail and more staffing. Hutson said they need $5.2 million to pay for locks alone.
Hutson asked the public to remain alert, adding the sheriff's department is working with local, state and federal law enforcement on a "full-scale search operation."
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said a "group of people" believed to be victims of the inmates were immediately removed from their homes and "taken to safety." She appealed to witnesses of the inmates' crimes to do the same.
Kirkpatrick said its "more than likely" the inmates had help and have changed out of their jail clothes.
"We don’t want panic, but we do want people to be mindful," she told reporters.
The sheriff called the escape "very serious and unacceptable."
"We are launching a full investigation to determine how this escape occurred, including reviewing facility protocols, staff performance and physical security measures," the sheriff said.
Anyone who helped the inmates escape will be held accountable, the sheriff vowed.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.