Ten inmates, several accused of murder, escaped from a New Orleans jail early Friday morning by tearing out a toilet and crawling through a wall, leaving behind taunting graffiti that read "To Easy LoL," authorities said.
The Orleans Parish Jail, located just two miles from the French Quarter, has a history of security lapses and overcrowding, BBC reported. The latest escape comes in light of heightened scrutiny of jail conditions and staffing levels.
The jailbreak occurred early Friday morning, when inmates inside a shared cell managed to dismantle part of the facility's plumbing system and exit through a utility wall.
Sheriff Susan Hutson said the inmates broke a sliding door off its tracks, removed a toilet, and cut through metal bars in a wall concealing plumbing infrastructure. In a mocking twist, messages like "To Easy LoL" and a drawn smiley face were found scrawled near the escape route.
Authorities believe the operation was assisted from the inside, pointing to "clean cuts" on metal bars.
As of Saturday, one escapee—Kendall Myles—has been apprehended. He was caught in the French Quarter after being identified by facial recognition and found hiding under a car. The remaining nine, described as "armed and dangerous," are still at large.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals, have joined the manhunt. Officials have also alerted victims connected to the escapees' cases.
