Photo: Stone RF
Ten inmates escaped a New Orleans jail on Friday (May 16) through a hole that was covered by a toilet, per CBS News.
As of Saturday (May 17) afternoon, seven of ten inmates, who are considered "armed and dangerous," remain at large following Friday's prison break at the Orleans Parish Jail, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The inmates were found missing during a routine head count at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Authorities said the group escaped just after midnight. The inmates allegedly yanked a sliding jail cell door off the track before breaching a wall behind a toilet. The toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items, according to authorities. The group then scaled down a wall and ran across the interstate.
Video released by the sheriff's office shows the escape, during which inmates ran out of the prison and traversed the freeway. The inmates also wrote a message on the wall for prison guards that read "to[o] easy, LOL."
Sheriff Susan Hutson said authorities believe the inmates had inside help from jail staff or deputies.
"We do acknowledge, there is no way people can get out of this facility without there being some time of lapse in security," Hutson said.
All of the escaped inmates are reportedly violent offenders who were being held on the same jail tier. The New Orleans Police Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals are working to find the escapees.
On Saturday, Louisiana State police confirmed that three inmates were captured and taken to a "secure state facility."
"The search remains active with multiple agencies working nonstop," police said.
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