NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — Officials on Sunday increased the reward for the capture of seven inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail by behind a toilet.
FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said Sunday seven of the 10 escapees are still at large and the FBI is offering $10,000 per inmate.
He said he believes members of the public may be aiding the escapees.
The men range in age from 19 to 42 and face a variety of charges including aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery and murder.
The announcement came as at least a dozen law enforcement agencies entered the third day of the manhunt.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police said that the agency was unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons. The spokesperson added that a multiagency task force was scouring the region for the remaining fugitives.
In a separate statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on Sunday her office’s “main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility staff, and building.”
At least one of the escaped inmates was captured based on a tip from the public, according to a statement from the FBI on the social media platform X. The reward for information leading to the capture of inmates still at large has been increased to $5,000 from the ATF in addition to $2,000 from Crimestoppers and $5,000 from the FBI.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick warned that the fugitives are dangerous in a news conference on Friday night but also urged the public “not to panic.”
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson out of the Orleans Justice Center because of “defective locks.” Hutson said she has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the aged infrastructure.
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