The long search for convicted murderer Derrick Groves ended dramatically in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 8th. Groves, the very last inmate on the run from a major jailbreak in New Orleans, was caught after a stand-off with police. His arrest closes a long race for law enforcement.
Dramatic End to the Manhunt in Atlanta
Authorities, including the U.S. Marshals and the Atlanta Police SWAT team, surrounded a home in southwest Atlanta after getting a tip. Groves had been hiding there for some time. After hours of trying to get him to come out, officers fired gas into the house. Groves was later found by a police dog hiding in a small crawl space in the basement. He was arrested without anyone getting hurt.
When police led the prisoner away, Groves, who was barefoot and shirtless, smiled and blew a kiss at the camera, a shocking reaction that quickly spread online. He is now being held in the Fulton County Jail and will be sent back to New Orleans soon.
Who is Derrick Groves and What Were His Charges?
Derrick Groves, 28, was one of the most dangerous of the men who broke out. He has a long history of violent crime.
- Main Crime: Groves was convicted of second-degree murder in October 2024. He was found guilty of using an assault rifle to shoot at a family party on Mardi Gras in 2018, killing two people (Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson) and injuring several others. He was facing a possible life sentence without parole.
- Past Charges: Court records show Groves, who goes by the street name “Woo,” sold heroin as a teenager and faced federal drug charges. He was involved in at least four killings over an 18-month period. He also later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in connection with a separate double killing in 2017.
- Family Connection: Groves is the grandson of a New Orleans woman, Kim Groves, who was famously murdered in 1994 by a corrupt police officer after she filed a brutality complaint against him.
The New Orleans Jailbreak and the Capture of All Ten Fugitives
Groves was part of an unusual mass escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16. Ten inmates escaped by breaking through a faulty cell door, taking a toilet off the wall, and crawling through a hole behind it. They then climbed a barbed-wire fence and escaped onto the highway. The escape went unnoticed for hours.
This major jailbreak led to a huge, multi-state search for all ten men.
- Quick Captures: Many of the escapees were caught quickly, most of them within New Orleans or Louisiana. Three of the men were caught the same day as the escape.
- Other Escapees: The other nine inmates who escaped were: Antoine Massey, Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate, Lenton Vanburen, Kendall Myles, Gary Price, Corey Boyd, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis.
- Manhunt: While nine were brought back into custody within about six weeks (one was caught as far away as Texas after a car chase), Derrick Groves stayed on the run for nearly five months, making him the target of a high-reward, nationwide search until his arrest in Atlanta.
- Inside Help: Investigators believe the escape was an inside job. A jail maintenance worker was arrested for turning off the water to the toilet, and a former jail employee (who was Groves’ girlfriend) was also arrested and charged with helping to plan the escape.
All ten inmates will now face extra charges for simple escape, which can add between two and five years to their original prison time. Groves’ capture means that every single person involved in the jailbreak is now back in custody.
Leave a Reply