During a joint press conference with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said they are open to offering legal help to fugitives Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey if they turn themselves in.
Groves and Massey were among 10 inmates who made national headlines after they infamously escaped from a New Orleans jail on May 16. The pair remain the only inmates who are still on the run.
Though Kirkpatrick disclosed one of the two fugitives is probably within the New Orleans metro area, she did not reveal if that person was Groves or Massey, WVUE reported. Besides offering legal help to the fugitives, Kirkpatrick also said they could safely surrender at any location of their choice.
RELATED STORIES
A reward of $50,000 each has been tabled for information that can assist authorities with arresting the remaining two fugitives. Kirkpatrick during the joint press conference described the reward as “life-changing” for whoever offers to provide authorities with information.
Earlier this month, Massey remained adamant that he had done nothing wrong and tried to plead his case through President Donald Trump, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, and NBA YoungBoy, Face2Face Africa reported.
READ ALSO: Latest on New Orleans jail escape as girlfriend of fugitive Derrick Groves arrested
Per XXL, Massey sent the appeal to the U.S. president and the three popular rappers in a post on social media. The videos showing Massey claiming he did nothing wrong were shared on an account named “@_007chucky,” WVUE reported. Massey in the videos is seen looking straight into the camera and maintaining his innocence over what landed him in jail as well as his escape.
“I’m one of the ones that was let out of Orleans Parish jail where they said I escaped, right?” Massey is heard saying in one of the videos.
In the wake of their escape, Massey was accused of threatening to “shank” Sterling Williams – a jail maintenance worker – if he refused to stop water flowing to the cell where they escaped from. The 10 inmates ultimately removed a toilet in the cell and passed through a hole behind the hardware before escaping. But Massey in the video denied threatening to “shank” Williams.
Massey in the video additionally claimed he was innocent of the domestic abuse battery charge that landed him in jail in the first place. He accused a jealous girlfriend of filing a false report, WVUE reported. He also claimed he had documentation to show he did not attack the victim, and that the culprits were peers.
Besides accusing the State of Louisiana of being corrupt, Massey also said his prosecution wasn’t handled properly and he was being maltreated in jail. He said he could be sentenced to life in prison for biased charges brought against him, adding that his escape stemmed from leaving an environment that wasn’t fair to him.
Police ultimately raided the home where Massey made the videos in question, but he was nowhere to be found, and the manhunt for him and Groves continues.
READ ALSO: How a grandmother allegedly helped her grandson in New Orleans jailbreak
