A pair of teenage homicide suspects escaped from a Louisiana juvenile detention facility over the weekend, including one who was recaptured after breaking out less than two weeks ago.
The escapees, both 17 years old, have been identified by Baton Rouge Police as David Atkins and Willie Jackson, both East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center inmates who are being held on charges of first-degree murder.
For Atkins, this was the second escape from the facility in as many weeks. He and another teenager managed to escape from guards who were distracted putting inmates back in their cells after a fight involving several inmates on November 14, The Advocate reported.
The teenagers were arrested a little more than 24 hours later after authorities received a tip that led them to the home where they were hiding.
Baton Rouge police did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking comment by The Post, but in an initial statement provided to WAFB, authorities said the teenager should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.
Willie Jackson, 17, is one of the juvenile homicide suspects who has now been released from the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center. Baton Rouge Police Department David Atkins, 17, escaped from the facility for the second time this week after serving more than 24 hours on Nov. 13. Baton Rouge Police Department
“We want people to be careful because they may have changed their hairstyle. We encourage those who may see them who may know where they are or may be outside and simply witness these individuals in the community to not hesitate to call 911 or Crime Stoppers,” a BRPD spokesperson told the outlet.
The juvenile detention facility where the teenager escaped has a bad reputation, following several other similar incidents in recent years.
In 2021, a group of five inmates escaped after overpowering a staff member, whom they locked in a cell without a radio after stealing his keys, The Advocate reported. It was the second jailbreak of the year.
In February last year, eight juvenile inmates managed to escape from their cells before engaging in a fight in which three of them were injured, which left doors and windows at the facility shattered.
The East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center has come under fire from parish officials in recent years after several inmates escaped.WAFB
That same year East Baton Rouge Parish appropriated $2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to strengthen the facility with 50 new metal security doors and upgrade its security camera system.
However, a spokesperson from Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s office told The Advocate that as of this week, the planned update is still in the planning and design phase and does not have a definite timeline for implementation.
Baton Rouge police and the US Marshals Service are chasing the runaway teenager.
It was not immediately known how Atkins and Jackson escaped their confinement.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
