While seven escaped prisoners, including two murder suspects, remain at large after a dramatic jailbreak from a New Orleans jail early Friday morning, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry ripped the parish’s progressive soft-on-crime policies that he claims aided the escape.
“The irony of the progressive promises that have been made to this city is clear. New Orleans handed the jail keys to those who vowed to keep criminals out of jail, and sadly, today we see that it worked,” Landry said during a Sunday night press conference. “I hope everyone understands that the video of those prisoners escaping epitomizes a progressive criminal justice system.”
Landry ripped politicians who “pander voters” which he said “lead[s] to a lack of safety and order.”
7 FUGITIVES REMAIN ON THE RUN AFTER NOLA PRISON BREAK; INSIDE JOB SUSPECTED
During the press conference, Landry announced an executive order to audit the Orleans Correctional Facility by the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) and remove all DOC inmates from the local jail. He handed down another order directing the state inspector general to work with the Orleans Parish Sheriff to inventory all jail inmates awaiting trial and those awaiting sentencing.
Ten inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility on Friday night, which was captured on the jail’s surveillance footage. Authorities say they crawled through a hold hidden behind a toilet.
The inmates then reportedly scaled and then hopped the jail’s barbed wire fence and ran across the highway into a neighborhood before changing clothes.
They left behind messages including “To Easy LOL” and “WE INNOCENT” on the wall next to the hole through which they escaped.
Authorities believe the escapees had help from someone inside the jail, and that a female civilian employee who was monitoring the pod “stepped away” to get food, missing the escape.
The seven fugitives still on the run are Jermaine Donald, 42; Antoine Massey, 33; Leo Tate, 31; Lenton Vanburen, 27; Derrick Groves, 27; Gary Price, 21; and Corey Boyd, 19.
Donald and Boyd were both facing second-degree murder charges.
NEW ORLEANS JAIL INMATES CHARGED WITH MURDER AND OTHER CRIMES ESCAPE
Donald had also been charged with aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice. Boyd’s other charges were attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery, illegal carrying of weapons involving a crime, and obstruction of justice.
Miles and Vanburen were each facing charges of battery of a correctional facility employee, among other crimes.
Groves pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October and was awaiting sentencing at the jail.
“If he would have been sentenced by a court system, he most likely would not have had an opportunity to escape,” Landry said during his press conference.
Authorities warned that the escapees may have traveled to other states. Bounties of $20,000 have been placed on their heads.
“We’ve had troopers working alongside our local state and federal partners throughout the night and developing more leads,” the Louisiana State Police told Fox News Digital on Monday morning.
The FBI did not return a comment request.
The ATF declined to comment.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Alexandra Koch and Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.
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