Final New Orleans Jail Escapee Captured At Atlanta Home Wednesday

ATLANTA, GA- The Atlanta Police Department along with other partner agencies were able to successfully capture a wanted Louisiana fugitive at a home in southwest Atlanta. The fugitive had gained national attention after being on the lamb for nearly five months and the last of 10 inmates that had escaped from a New Orleans area jail in May.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, law enforcement descended on a residence located in the 2100 block of Honeysuckle Lane SW in Atlanta. Members of the United States Marshals Services Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force in conjunction with the Atlanta Police Department and Clayton County Police Department were able to take 28-year-old Derrick Groves into custody at the residence.

Grove had been jailed at the Orleans Parish City Jail in New Orleans, Louisiana after being previously convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Groves had received a life sentence on those charges. Groves had also been found guilty of federal firearms charges and sentenced to five years imprisonment on those charges.

Groves along with nine other inmates housed at the jail were able to climb through a hole in the wall behind a toilet, scaling a fence and crossing an interstate to their short lived freedom. The daunting escape happened in the early morning hours of May 16, and by the time guards at the jail did their morning head count the inmates were long gone. All were rounded up within six weeks of the escape with the exception of Groves who has been on the run for nearly five months.

Atlanta police released a video of the arrest of Groves at the home on Honeysuckle Lane. In the video he can be seen looking at the camera smiling and even blowing a kiss before being loaded into the back of an Atlanta Police cruiser to be transported to a local detention facility.

Groves is in custody in Georgia and will be extradited back to Louisiana for processing and to face additional charges in relation to the escape. Groves will also begin to serve his sentence on his convictions in Louisiana upon his return.

About the Author

Alton Mitchell

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Alton Mitchell is a career journalist, who currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He began his journalistic writing career while attending middle school and continued on through high school earning top honors by becoming his high school newspapers Editor in Chief. During his senior year of high school Mitchell's work received community recognition following an article that helped to save a local elementary school from closure. He would later go on to college where he earned degrees in Political Science and English. Following his graduation from college Mitchell would take on several reporting jobs at smaller publications and worked in roles ranging from a freelance journalist to editorial related roles. His work was recognized and received Press Association Awards in 2021. Writing is a passion and a love for Mitchell and he hopes to enlighten the community he serves through his works with A Mitchell Media LLC.

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