(NewsNation) — Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams believes 10 inmates breaking out of a New Orleans jail is “absurd” and “unprecedented.”
The manhunt continues for 6 escaped inmates from a New Orleans jail, four days after their initial escape. Three have been recaptured and returned to the prison. The manhunt has expanded to seven states, with all six inmates considered armed and dangerous.
Williams joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Monday, stating his office found out about the jailbreak from the media.
“It’s hard to find the words to describe how absurd it is,” he said of the jailbreak. “That toilet didn’t come out of the wall in a matter of moments. The pod, that’s not supposed to house 10 individuals, so at least eight of them were not where they were supposed to be, which means somebody wasn’t watching those monitors as well.
“This is an unprecedented breakdown, but it’s confronted by breakdown, after breakdown, after breakdown.”
Williams also rebuked Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson’s view that it is an old jail and that faulty locks on cell doors are primarily to blame.
“This is not an old jail with crumbling infrastructure,” he said. “She has $14 million in her operating account. With $14 million, you can fix a broken lock, and you can fix any defective cameras. This is not a lock and key facility. This has cameras everywhere. There are monitors that are set up for deputies to be able to watch these inmates 24/7 around the clock. This is a $150 million facility.”
The public has been warned not to approach the men if spotted and instead call 911.
A reward for the apprehension of each inmate is now at $10,000 by the FBI plus $5,000 in rewards offered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the local Crime Stoppers.