Four Inmates Escape in Louisiana Jailbreak

(USNewsMag.com) – Four inmates escaped from a jail in Louisiana, three of whom are facing murder charges, and a manhunt is now underway to bring them back into custody.

On Sunday, May 26th, the four men reportedly escaped from the Tangipahoa Parish Jail during the inmates’ daily recreation time in the jail yard. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards posted a statement later that night identifying the escaped inmates as 21-year-old Travon Johnson of Natalbany, 20-year-old Jamarcus Cyprian of Amite, 19-year-old Avery Guidry of Natalbany, and 19-year-old Omarion Hookfin.

The four inmates, who were of smaller stature, somehow managed to squeeze through an area of the fence surrounding the jail. After inspecting the fence, authorities located a section that was discovered “to be vulnerable and easily maneuvered” in a way that would allow “a small-statured body” to slide through the opening.

Edwards said that three of those escapees – Guidry, Hookfin, and Johnson – were being held on charges of murder in connection with a homicide in 2022 in Hammond. Hoofkin also faces aggravated battery charges at another jail from a separate incident in Catahoula Parish. The fourth inmate (Cyprian) was in jail on gun charges and for armed robbery.

According to authorities, Guidry, Hoofkin, and Johnson allegedly broke into a residence during which they fatally shot a father and his young daughter. The 12-year-old girl was shot 10 times, according to a local report.

The sheriff’s office statement asked members of the public “with first-hand knowledge of any of the four subjects” and their whereabouts to contact law enforcement, providing a tip hotline phone number.

The following morning, May 27th, at 10:56 AM, the sheriff’s office added an update from Edwards to the statement reporting that Johnson and Guidry were both recaptured. The update says the two young men were found “hiding in a dumpster” behind a store along the Old Baton Rouge Highway. The sheriff added that the other two suspects, Hoofkin and Cyprian, remain at large.

Copyright 2024, USNewsMag.com