All eight inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail — including four accused of murder — were recaptured and returned to custody Saturday after a sweeping, multi-agency manhunt, state police said.
Louisiana State Police announced shortly after midnight that the final three fugitives had been located, bringing an end to the search that began after the group broke out of the Riverbend Detention Center early Friday.
Authorities said the inmates, whom officials described as violent offenders, escaped around 1:20 a.m. Friday. The breakout triggered a coordinated response involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
State police said Hugo Molino, 27; Trenton Taplin, 29; and Savon Wheeler, 31, were captured first. They were followed by Destin Brogan, 22; Kelin Looney, 21; Krisean Salinas, 21; Kevin Slaughter, 25; and Koplelon Vicknair, 19, whose arrest marked the end of the manhunt.
According to local media reports, Taplin faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Brogan and Looney are accused of second-degree murder, while Vicknair was awaiting sentencing in connection with a 2023 homicide.
Officials did not disclose how the inmates managed to escape or provide details on the circumstances of their capture. Louisiana State Police said the arrests were carried out as part of a coordinated CREST mission involving multiple agencies.
The escape is the latest in a series of high-profile jailbreaks in Louisiana in recent months.
In December, two inmates accused of violent crimes evaded capture for nearly two weeks after escaping from a jail in southwest Louisiana by dismantling a deteriorating wall and using bedsheets to scale the facility. A third inmate involved in that breakout later died by suicide after being located by authorities.
Earlier, in May, a separate escape involving 10 inmates from a New Orleans jail drew national attention. Investigators later said broken cell doors, a breached bathroom wall and a climb over a security barrier enabled the escape. All 10 inmates were eventually recaptured after a five-month, multi-state search.
The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of jail security across the state as officials continue to investigate how the Riverbend escape occurred.
theindependent
