Search for 2 of 4 escaped inmates continues in Louisiana
A search continued in Louisiana on Tuesday after a group of inmates, several of them arrested in connection with a homicide, busted out of jail over the weekend.
Omarion Hookfin, 19; Avery Guidry, 19; Jamarcus Cyprian, 20; and Travon Johnson, 21, all escaped through a weak spot in the chain link fence circling Tangipahoa Parish Jail, Chief Jimmy Travis of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office told reporters during a news conference Monday. Guidry and Johnson slipped out of the facility first by shimmying beneath a gap in the barrier on Saturday and then scaling two wire fences, WDSU reported.
Jail officials did not know about the breakouts until they received a phone call Sunday afternoon from a family member of one of the escapees, Travis said. The caller said Guidry and Johnson turned up at their home looking for a place to stay.
By then, Hookfin and Cyprian had also managed to escape the jail, likely using the same methods, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Some hours later, authorities located the first two escapees, according to police, after a tipster who saw the wanted pair called authorities. They were discovered inside a dumpster behind a Dollar General, the sheriff’s office announced Monday. They were both taken into custody without issue.
Hoofkin and Cyprian remain at large.
Giudry, Johnson and Hoofkin had each been jailed in connection with a 2022 homicide in Hammond. Hoofkin is also facing a charge of aggravated battery for an unrelated incident. Police said all three men were among a group of suspects who broke into home of Donte Perry. He was fatally shot during the confrontation and his 12-year-old daughter was struck 10 times by the gunfire, WWL-TV.
Cyrprian was serving time for armed robbery and weapons charges.
Anyone with information about the escapees has been asked to contact the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. Those who wish to remain anonymous can also call CrimeStoppers, the sheriff’s office said.
