ATLANTA – The final inmate wanted after a brazen escape from a New Orleans jail in May has reportedly been arrested after a tense SWAT standoff in Atlanta.
Honeysuckle Lane SWAT activity
What we know:
The U.S. Marshals Service said it was involved in a SWAT standoff Wednesday along Honeysuckle Lane near Delowe Drive and Cedar Lane in southwest Atlanta.
Witnesses told FOX 5 that the standoff began early Wednesday with officers calling for Derrick Groves—who escaped from the New Orleans jail in May—to come out of the home.
A FOX 5 crew at the scene reported that the man who eventually walked out and was taken into custody matched Groves’ description.
Derrick Grove’s arrest
What they’re saying:
Deputy Chief Kelly Collier with the Atlanta Police Department said Groves was taken into custody without serious injury after officers deployed gas and a police dog. “Our SWAT team, with all their training and experience, was able to bring him out,” Collier said. “We deployed a number of canisters of gas to help move him throughout the house, which he moved to the basement of the house. Soon after, Clayton County K-9 was deployed in the crawlspace of the location and found him in that crawlspace.”
Frank Lempka with the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Task Force said the capture was the result of months of coordination between agencies in Georgia and Louisiana. “Ever since the escape, the U.S. Marshals in New Orleans, along with several other departments, started a task force just for this case and have spent thousands of hours working tons of leads,” he said. “We can’t say exactly what brought us here, but it was a very thorough investigation.”
New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams said residents are breathing “a collective sigh of relief” following Groves’ arrest. “Everybody’s saying a collective sigh of relief, knowing that a person who was facing multiple life sentences is now in custody,” Williams said. “We look forward to holding him accountable for the crime that he was already convicted of and the other crimes that he committed.”
A neighbor who witnessed the standoff said the scene was unlike anything she had seen in her 35 years living in the quiet neighborhood. “I heard all this noise from the police telling everyone to stay away, stay back,” said Deborah Lackey. “Then I saw the police cars and a SWAT team and you saw the the big truck, SWAT truck driving up on on the on the grounds, and then next thing you know, you heard them knocking the door garage in, or they were throwing things, you hear ‘boom, boom, boom.’
New Orleans jail escape
The backstory:
Groves escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center on May 16, 2025, along with nine other inmates in what became one of Louisiana’s most high-profile jailbreaks in decades. While most of the escapees were captured within weeks, Groves had remained at large for nearly five months.
Authorities said Groves was serving time after being convicted of killing two people when he opened fire at a Mardi Gras party in 2024.
Sterling Williams in custody
Dig deeper:
In connection with the jailbreak, Sterling Williams, 33, a maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish Jail, was previously arrested and charged with 10 counts of principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office.
The Source: Information in this article came from the U.S. Marshals Service and a FOX 5 crew in the area.
