A manhunt is underway after 10 prisoners escaped through a hole in a New Orleans cell, leaving a message behind telling authorities the breakout was "too easy".
Seven of the escapees, including men charged with murder, remain on the run following the escape that the local sheriff says may have been aided by people on the inside of the United States prison.
The men fled through a hole behind a toilet, before scaling a wall while a lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said.
Above the hole the prisoners left messages that include "To Easy LOL" with an arrow pointing at the gap.
Surveillance footage, shared with media, showed the escapees sprinting out of the facility — some wearing orange clothing and others in white.
They scaled a fence, using blankets to avoid being cut by barbed wire, and then some could be seen sprinting across the highway and into a neighbourhood.
It was not until a routine morning headcount, more than seven hours later, that law enforcement learned of the escape.
Soon after the escape, one of the men, Kendall Myles, 20 — who had previously escaped twice from juvenile detention centres — was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
Two more fugitives were captured on Friday evening thanks to a public tip-off, according to authorities.
Search continues
Seven escaped inmates remain at large, Louisiana State Police said in an update on Saturday morning.
State police used a helicopter to transport the captured inmates to a state correctional facility outside the New Orleans area, the agency said.
The search remains active with local, state, and federal agencies working together around the clock to locate and apprehend the remaining individuals, police said.
Sheriff blames 'defective locks' and possibly inside help
The men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of "defective locks," Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said.
Sheriff Hutson said she had continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the ailing infrastructure.
Sheriff Hutson said there were indications people inside her department helped the fugitives escape.
"It's almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help," she said of the jail, where 1,400 people are being held.
The escapees yanked open a door to enter the cell with the hole around 1am, local time.
At least one of the steel bars protecting plumbing fixtures "appeared to have been intentionally cut using a tool," according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office.
The men shed their jail uniforms once out of the facility, and it is still unclear how some of them obtained regular clothing so quickly, officials said.
Three employees have been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation.
Who are the fugitives?
The escapees range in age from 19 to 42, with most in their 20s.
One of the fugitives, Derrick Groves, was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder last year for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men.
He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, court records show.
Law enforcement warned that he may attempt to locate witnesses in the murder trial.
Another escapee, Corey Boyd, had pled not guilty to a pending second-degree murder charge.
Turmoil at New Orleans jail
The New Orleans jail has for more than a decade been subject to federal monitoring and a settlement intended to improve conditions.
Security problems and violence persisted even after the city opened the Orleans Justice Center in 2015, replacing the decaying Orleans Parish Prison, which had seen its own string of escapes and dozens of in-custody deaths.
A federal judge declared in 2013 that the lock-up had festered into an unconstitutional setting for people incarcerated there.
ABC/AP
