(NewsNation) — Ten inmates, including four alleged killers, escaped through a hole behind a toilet at the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans, prompting authorities to warn the public that the fugitives are armed and dangerous.
The Orleans Justice Center was placed on lockdown Friday after the individuals escaped from the jail.
Out of the 10 escaped inmates, six were still at large as of Monday night. Authorities said they were pursuing “actionable intelligence” on each fugitive.
New Orleans jailbreak: Timeline of the escape
The escape wasn’t discovered until a routine headcount around 8:30 a.m., giving the fugitives more than seven hours of freedom before the alarm was raised, Major Silas Phipps Jr. said.
“At approximately 12:23 a.m., the detainees began tampering with a locked cell door, ultimately breaking it open,” OPSO Sheriff Susan Hutson told reporters.
By 12:43 AM, the inmates had entered the cell, and at 1:00 am, they were captured on camera exiting the facility through an adjacent loading dock door.
“At 1:19 AM, they were observed scaling the fence along I-10, between our building and the currently under-construction Phase Three facility, using blankets to avoid being cut by the barbed wire,” Phipps Jr. explained. “Those individuals subsequently ran across the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-10, and then entered the neighborhood.”
Investigators later found discarded clothing that the inmates had shed.
The inmates escaped through a hole dug in the jail. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office) 
The inmates escaped through a hole dug in the jail. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office) 
The inmates escaped through a hole dug in the jail. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office) 
Nine inmates are still at large after escaping in New Orleans. (New Orleans Police Department)
New Orleans jailbreak: Security failures and possible inside help
Sheriff Hutson cited multiple security failures that contributed to the jailbreak, including defective locks on the inmates’ cells and poor infrastructure at the facility.
“We have an indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside our department,” Hutson said. “There were supervisors on duty. There were lower-level folks on duty, and they all had a job to do, and we’re going to find out exactly what happened.”
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office released images showing the hole in the wall behind a toilet where the inmates escaped. According to Hutson, the area was out of view of the correctional monitoring technician who was present in the Control Module during the escape.
A security lapse occurred when a civilian CMT assigned to observe Pod One Delta left her post to “grab food.” With no deputy physically present on the pod at the time, the inmates began their escape.
“By the time she returned, they were already into the cell, or gone, so she did not even know that they had made good on their escape or made an attempt to escape,” Phipps Jr. said.
When questioned about staffing civilian technicians to monitor maximum security inmates, Phipps Jr. cited ongoing staffing challenges: “We have a vacancy rate like every other correctional agency in the country. Every corrections has a 55% vacancy rate across this country. Like us, we are underfunded, understaffed, underpaid, so we do our best to hire staff and retain them.”
After discovering the missing inmates, jail staff immediately began a search of the facility while investigatory teams combed through security footage to determine how the escape occurred.
Authorities said three employees have been suspended pending investigation.
Eight of the escapees remain at large after breaking out of the jail early Friday morning. The Orleans Justice Center was immediately placed on lockdown following the discovery of the breach.
The FBI has increased its reward to $10,000 for each inmate. Tips can be submitted to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting the FBI’s website. Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward.
Jail reform needed: Ex-NYPD Lt.
Retired NYPD Lt. Commander Joe Cardinale joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss the inmates escaping.
“I really think you have to revamp this whole system right now,” Cardinale said.
“This is not just in New Orleans,” he said. “They have correctional facilities across the United States that are undermanned and have to be staffed to a level that’s compatible with the inmate-to-officer ratio.
“And the fact that they let two hours go by, I’m not accepting that from the sheriffs,” he added.