Five teenagers escaped from Baton Rouge’s antiquated Juvenile Detention Center after attacking three guards with a shank, prompting renewed calls for an improved facility to hold youths awaiting hearings or trials in the criminal justice system.
One escapee remained at large late Friday: 18-year-old Malik Williams.
Without providing specifics, a prosecutor said the five face “some very serious offenses.”
Police spokesman Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said the teens attacked the guards shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday and police said they stole a car belonging to one of the officers. The term "shank" can be used to describe any makeshift knife. McKneely said the guards’ injuries were not considered life-threatening.
City-parish officials thanked the guards for trying to prevent the escape, and also thanked the parents of two escapees for helping officers track down their children.
“We are very proud of our three officers last night,” city-parish spokesman Mark Armstrong said. “They did their jobs. They fought like heck to keep these youth inside the facility … to keep them safe, to keep the community safe, and we’re very proud of what they did last night. They did their jobs. They all received minor injuries doing their jobs.”
According to Armstrong, the teens overpowered an officer guarding a dormitory and stole his keys, and were able to leave after overpowering two more officers. One of the guards went to a hospital and was released Thursday night, Armstrong said. The other two did not require a hospital trip and one was back at work Friday.
This is the second time this year inmates have escaped the facility.
In July, two juveniles broke out of the center and were on the run for 1½ days before being recaptured. Before this year, no inmate had escaped the facility since 2016.
The four teens recaptured this week were accused of stealing a car, battery of a correction facility employee, armed robbery and aggravated escape, according to East Baton Rouge booking documents Friday afternoon. The only one named publicly in jail records Friday was Jordan Pough, 18, of Cleo Street.
Police did not name the other three escapees because they are juveniles. Pough and Williams’ names were released because they are 18.
Authorities say they found the stolen car.
The juvenile center, at 8333 Veterans Memorial Blvd. near Metro Airport, has long been considered outdated, but voters have rejected plans to upgrade it.
“It’s wholly inadequate for the safety of the youth there and the staff,” Juvenile Court Judge Adam Haney said. He added that, in former Mayor-President Kip Holden's second term, voters rejected building a new juvenile detention center.
“If that passes we probably don’t have this problem,” he said. “This is a black eye for East Baton Rouge Parish. East Baton Rouge Parish could have fixed the problem. This is a black eye for the community.”
The center’s staff, he said, should not be blamed for what happened Thursday night. He said the center is understaffed and employees are overworked and underpaid, with wages starting at $12.13 per hour.
“The people that work there really want to help the kids,” the judge said.
District Attorney Hillar Moore III said it was disconcerting that five wards managed to escape.
“The Juvenile Detention Center has been woefully inadequate for 20 years,” Moore said. “We’ve been saying it’s outdated and need to be brought up to standards. It’s certainly a concern that five juveniles were able to overtake the guards there.”
Five juvenile inmates escaped from the Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center Thursday night, Baton Rouge Police said.
Before the attack, two of the five were about to be transferred to jail pending trial as adults on previous offenses, Moore said. The cases of the remaining three were being reviewed for transfer to the Parish Prison, as well, he said. The prosecutor said he would look at trying all of them as adults on escape-related charges.
Center director Tamiara Wade did not respond to requests for comment.
Metro Councilwoman Chauna Banks said she was concerned about antiquated security features at the facility and is hopeful the council will get a more detailed report on the breakout to determine next steps.
“Chances are there are huge security measures that need to be taken,” she said Friday. “These kids nowadays are much more bolder than what the facility has probably required in previous years. We don’t have a report or know the full details yet. But I’m sure that building isn’t up to par.”
Metro Council President Pro Tem Lamont Cole expressed confidence Friday that adjustments would be made.
“Things like this don’t typically happen at our juvenile facility,” he said. “I’m sure that the warden and those in supervising positions understand mistakes like this can be extremely harmful to those young people involved and to the general public if something negatively takes places because of them.”
Armstrong said the facility meets all state standards.
“The number of employees that work here, the number of staff that work here, it’s all up to the standards,” he said. “Our job is to minimize the risk of this from happening again, and that is what we’re always doing is to minimize any risk to safety for anyone here.”
Armstrong blamed this year’s escapes on a 2019 state law that raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction for offenders to include 17-year-olds, who previously entered the adult criminal justice system after an arrest. The change has increased the number of wards at Baton Rouge’s juvenile detention center, Armstrong said.
“It’s done on a case-by-case basis, but they are getting more of them,” he said. “That’s important to note: that we are in a bit of a transition phase adjusting to that.”
In July 2013, all juvenile detention centers were placed under the umbrella of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services for licensing and inspections. The facility has mostly received passing grades in all its inspections since that time.
Inspection reports in 2020 and 2021 appear to ding the center for what seem like clerical errors: “The provider failed to comply and show proof of compliance with all relevant standards, regulations, and requirements established by federal, state, local, and municipal regulatory bodies including annual approval by the State Fire Marshal,” said one from 2020. A report this year said the center lacked documentation of a public health inspection.
“There are fire and health codes and/or there may be deficiencies associated with those agencies that we make note of,” said Catherine Heitman, DCFS’s communications press secretary. “As long as they put those to bed, we don’t have a problem and we’re clear.”
Anyone with information about Williams’ whereabouts is asked to call Baton Rouge police at (225) 389-2000 or Greater Baton Rouge Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.