Inmates set fires in cells, attacked deputies during New Orleans jail fight

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Multiple Orleans Justice Center inmates started fires in their cells on July 5, then attacked the deputies sent to move them to a disciplinary pod, according to court records. Inmates also fought each other, threatened to jump from a second-story mezzanine, and bit and punched deputies. The melee in Pod 3D involved at least three inmates and four deputies. Carlos Taylor, 18, and Devonn Davis, 21, were each rebooked on counts of battery of a police officer.

Investigators say Taylor and Davis started fires in their cells. When deputies tried to relocate them, the pair allegedly climbed onto the ledge of a second-story mezzanine and threatened to jump. At one point, Davis allegedly hung from the railing by one arm and punched a deputy in the face with his free hand, according to an NOPD arrest report. Taylor allegedly fought another inmate, Harold Brown, biting a deputy who tried to separate them.

Roughly a week later, Taylor allegedly tried to stab a group of deputies with a six-inch metal shank. He was rebooked on 10 counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, along with counts of introducing contraband into a correctional facility and possession of a weapon. A judge also ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation.

Taylor has a history of violently resisting and evading authorities. During a juvenile detention hearing in 2024, he fled court, scaled a fence, crossed Interstate 610 and allegedly carjacked a woman who was waiting to pick up her son from an appointment at the LSU School of Dentistry. Taylor was captured three days later in Baton Rouge. He pleaded not guilty in March 2025 to two counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count each of armed robbery with a firearm, carjacking and aggravated escape.

Davis is awaiting trial on second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, armed robbery and racketeering. He is accused of killing Raven Francis, 29, a mother of four, during a September 2024 shooting outside Shamrock Bar & Grill.

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