(NEW ORLEANS) — Eleven adult men escaped from a New Orleans jail on Friday and should be considered armed and dangerous, officials with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office warned.
One of the inmates has been apprehended; 10 remain at large, the sheriff’s office said.
The men were unaccounted for during a routine headcount at the Orleans Justice Center at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told reporters.
Hutson asked the public to remain alert, adding the sheriff’s department is working with local, state and federal law enforcement on a “full-scale search operation.”
The sheriff called the escape “very serious and unacceptable.”
“We are launching a full investigation to determine how this escape occurred, including reviewing facility protocols, staff performance and physical security measures,” she said.
Anyone who helped the inmates escape will be held accountable, the sheriff vowed.
The Orleans Justice Center is less than 3 miles from the French Quarter, a tourist hot spot.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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