Louisiana police searching for 2 escaped prisoners after 4 slipped through fence
Louisiana police are looking for two inmates who escaped through a jail fence during recreation time, according to a Sunday news release.
A total of four inmates escaped from the Tangipahoa Parish Jail in Amite City, approximately 1.5 hours north of New Orleans, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.
During a news conference on Monday, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office Chief Jimmy Travis said a member of the public notified authorities about the missing men. Travis called the fact they heard about the escape from a member of the public "very concerning," and attributed it to lack of supervision and short staffing, in addition to the numerous infrastructure problems.
Two of the men first left the jail on Saturday and were found by Monday morning hiding in a garbage bin behind a Dollar General Store, Travis said during the news conference.
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Inmates at large jailed on homicide and armed robbery charges
Travis said the narcotics division and the detective division is trying to find information on where the two at large individuals might be. However, he said they believe the two may no longer be in the Tangipahoa parish.
TPSO identified the four people who escaped as:
- Omarion Hookfin, 19
- Avery Guidry, 19
- Jamarcus Cyprian, 20
- Travon Johnson, 21
Cyprian was jailed on robbery and weapon charges, according to police. The other three were incarcerated on charges related to a 2022 home invasion, in which a 12-year-old girl was shot multiple times and her father was killed, according to local outlet WWL Louisiana
Hookfin and Cyprian have yet to be located, according to most recent updates available. Police are asking locals with knowledge of the incident to contact them.
Member of public notified police on escapees the next day
Travis said a member of the public contacted the sheriff's office to report that two inmates had gone to a relative's house trying to find a place to stay overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
Guidry and Johnson were the first to escape. Hookfin and Cyprian, who remain at large, then followed. Travis said Hookfin and Cyprian were aware of how the other two escaped, and police believe they made their move out of the prison shortly before officials learned the first two inmates were missing.
The escape route included multiple steps and weaknesses in the system, Travis explained.
The escapees broke open some eroded fencing, hid between the fence and the next wall until dark, slid under an 8-inch gap in the wall, and scaled two razor-wire fences, Travis said.