Overview

• Two 17-year-old murder suspects, identified as David Atkins and Willie Jackson, escaped from the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center late on Saturday night.
• Atkins, who was being held on a first-degree murder charge, had previously escaped from the same facility on November 13.
• The Baton Rouge Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service have launched a search for the escaped teens, who are considered armed and dangerous.
• The East Baton Rouge juvenile facility has been criticized for repeated escapes and violent episodes, with five prisoners escaping in 2021 after attacking a staffer.
• East Baton Rouge Parish had set aside $2 million for security upgrades, which were still in the planning and design phase at the time of the latest escape.