Social media video appears to show escaped inmate pleading for Trump’s help

Multiple law enforcement agencies have ramped up their search for two inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail in May. Authorities have said the escapees — Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey — should be considered armed and dangerous.

A recent video circulating on social media appears to show Massey sharing his side of the story and pleading for help from rappers Meek Mill and Lil Wayne, as well as President Trump. The man in the video pleads his case and says he didn’t “break out” — but that he was “let out.”

Authorities were convinced about the authenticity of the video and raided a home late Monday where they believed the video was filmed, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior law enforcement official who spoke to the news agency on condition of anonymity. Massey wasn’t at the home at the time of the raid, but some of his clothing believed to be worn by the escapee during the video’s filming was located.

Relatives tipped off authorities who recognized the residence from which Massey was speaking.

Last week, the reward for information leading to the capture of the two remaining fugitives increased to a total of $50,000 per escapee.

“I want to be clear: Anyone who chooses to help the remaining fugitives in any way will be arrested and prosecuted,” Louisiana State Police official Robert Hodges said on May 29. “We have some strong leads, but these remaining two fugitives, they have help. … At this time we’re confident that we’re closing in on the remaining two escapees and we should have them in custody soon,” Hodges said.

Ten inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Justice Center on May 16. Authorities recaptured three escapees last Monday, including one in Baton Rouge, La., and two in Texas, following a high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The Huntsville Police Department released the dashcam and bodycam footage of the pursuit and arrest on social media.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson had advised the public not to engage with the inmates or approach them.

At least 13 people, including an inmate, have since been arrested and have been accused of collaborating with the escapees.

Reward increases for information leading to the recapture of the escapees

Last Thursday, Crimestoppers announced it has increased its reward to $20,000, the FBI has pledged $20,000 and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has offered a $10,000 for a total of $50,000 per escapee — an increase from the previous $20,000 total reward.

“We truly hope with this increased amount that if you have personal knowledge of the whereabouts of these individuals that can help law enforcement make that arrest, to contact us,” said Darlene Cusanza, president and CEO of Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans. “With Crimestoppers, you will remain anonymous.”

What we know about the inmates who escaped

The sheriff’s office initially said 11 inmates had escaped on May 16. Hutson clarified that one man, Keith Lewis, had actually been moved to a different cell and was never on the run.

The following 10 inmates escaped: Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, Kendell Myles, Derrick Groves, Jermain Donald, Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis.

Several of the inmates are facing murder or attempted murder charges or other offenses, including burglary, illegal carrying of weapons and domestic abuse involving strangulation.

Myles, Moody and Dennis were recaptured within hours of their escape. They were awaiting trial on various felony charges, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. This includes attempted murder, armed robberies, illegally carrying weapons and illegal drug possession offenses.

A fifth inmate, Corey Boyd, was recaptured on May 20 and taken into custody.

On Monday, Vanburen was arrested in Baton Rouge by the Baton Rouge Police Department while Tate and Donald were arrested in Walker County, Texas, by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Groves and Massey remain at large.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the recaptured inmates — and anyone who helped in their escape — will face new charges.

Who has been arrested for allegedly helping the escapees

Last week, state police spokesperson Sgt. Kate Stegall announced six new arrests of people who are accused of coordinating with the escapees. Diamond White, 21, was arrested for allegedly helping Massey.

The following people were also arrested, accused of helping Vanburen: Lenika Vanburen, Tyshanea Randolph, Patricia Vanburen, Angel McKay, and Lenton Vanburen Sr. They were all booked into the Plaquemines Parish jail.

On May 23, Murrill announced that Trevon Williams, who was already in jail on unrelated charges, was charged with 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape. “As I promised when we initiated our investigation, we will hold absolutely everyone who contributed any role to the prison break in New Orleans accountable,” Murrill said.

The New Orleans Police Department also said it arrested Emmitt Weber on a charge of accessory after the fact of simple escape.

Other people arrested in connection with the jailbreak include jail maintenance worker Sterling Williams, Casey Smith, Connie Weeden, Cortnie Harris, and Corvanntay Baptiste. They are all being accused of coordinating with and helping the inmates escape.

Authorities allege that Williams shut off the water to a toilet that was covering a hole in a cell wall in order to help in the escape of the inmates who squeezed through the gap.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Associated Press, Williams said one of the inmates who escaped had threatened to “shank” him if he didn’t turn off the water. “If the inmates removed the sink in the cell and disconnected the rest of the plumbing with the water still on, the plan to escape would not have been successful and potentially flooded the cell, drawing attention to their actions,” the affidavit said.

However, Williams’s lawyer said he shut the water off in order to unclog a toilet, not to aid in the escape of the inmates, the AP reported.

Additionally, before the jailbreak unfolded, another inmate apparently tried to take Williams’s phone and tried to get him to bring a book with Cash App information.

Williams faces 10 counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. He’s being held on a $1.1 million bond set last Tuesday — $100,000 per count.

What we know about how the jailbreak unfolded

Hutson told reporters on May 16 that the inmates allegedly started pulling on a defective cell door to pull it off track around 12:23 a.m. Friday and were able to break open a door. “These are the cells that we keep telling we need to replace at great cost in this facility,” Hutson said. “There was a corrections monitoring technician in the pod module to be watching that. They were still able to exit the jail about 1:01 a.m. after breaching a wall behind a toilet in the jail.”

The inmates allegedly used electric hair trimmers to help cut their way through the cell walls, reported CNN, which cited a source with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Hutson added they could be seen on video surveillance scaling a wall and running across the interstate.

Jail officials discovered the inmates were missing at 8:30 a.m. during a routine head count the morning of May 16. The jail was immediately placed on lockdown.

Hutson called it a “very serious and unacceptable situation.”

Louisiana governor calls for audit of the jail

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said during a May 18 news conference that the state attorney general’s office will lead an investigation into the jailbreak, calling it the worst in recent state history. Landry also called for an audit of the sheriff’s office as well as the Orleans Parish Justice Center.

“This massive jailbreak could be the largest jailbreak in the history of the state, and it never should have happened,” Landry said. “The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened.”