Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec.
From drug dealers to convicted murderers to Hells Angels members, sometimes they just walked away, sometimes they squeezed through a fence, and twice they escaped in helicopters.
Here's a look at just some of the prison escapes reported in Quebec since 2010.
David Gingras-Gaudet, 37, escaped from the Orsainville Detention Centre while serving time on drug charges. He escaped through the outer fence with the help of another inmate and was recaptured shortly after.
Francois Paquette, 53, was serving a sentence of three years and change for breaking and entering when he escaped from the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines. He was noted missing during headcount and recaptured by police a day later.
David Everett Alexson, 51, was convicted on two second-degree murder counts and was serving part of his sentence at the Waseskun Healing Centre in the Lanaudiere region and left the premises. He was recaptured less than a week later.
Denis Begin, 58, broke out of the minimum security Federal Training Centre where he was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. He was nabbed in May 2023, and, in a dramatic turn, is suspected of starting the fire that killed seven people in Old Montreal in March 2023. No charges have been laid in the case.
Sylvain Lauzon, 43, was serving time for robbery and other offences when he escaped from Archambault Institution in Ste. Anne des Plaines. He was arrested on Ste. Catherine Street in Montreal in a stolen car after leading police on a brief chase.
Son of reputed Hells Angels kingpin Maurice "Mom" Boucher, Francis Boucher, 39, walked out of Bordeaux Prison by posing as an inmate with a similar name. He was serving a 10-year sentence for gangsterism, drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder from 2001. He turned himself in two days later.
Yves Denis, 35, Denis Lefebvre, 53, and Serge Pomerleau, 49, fled the Orsainville Detention Centre near Quebec City in a helicopter that touched down in the prison yard. The men were recaptured just under two weeks later in a luxury condo in Old Montreal.
Hells Angels member Rene Charlebois, 48, was serving a second-degree murder stint (convicted in 2003) at Montee Saint-Francois prison in Laval when he was found missing during a headcount. He was found dead two weeks later, on Sept. 26, 2013.
Benjamin Hudon Barbeau and Dany Provencal boarded a hijacked helicopter and escaped from the Saint-Jerome detention centre. The two inmates dangled from a rope lowered from the helicopter before fleeing in the Laurentians with the two accomplices who hijacked the helicopter. The two accomplices and two inmates were found hours later after exchanging gunfire with police. Two others were arrested as accomplices.
Raymond Rouette, 51, was serving time since 1988 for first-degree murder in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines at the minimum security prison and escaped while on an outing escorted by guards. He was recaptured just over a week later.
ROUGH WEEK
Gilles Meloche, 56, was not present during the headcount at the Montee St-Francois Institution in Laval where he was serving an indeterminate sentence since 1980 for second-degree murder and armed robbery.
Oct. 4, 2012
Guards noticed that 32-year-old Philippe Pelletier had escaped from the same detention centre. In prison since Nov. 2010, Pelletier had been convicted of robbery and weapons possession.
Alex Michaud-Robitaille, 27, was not among the inmates during the evening headcount. He was serving a two-year sentence for drunk-driving and other offences and was recaptured within the week.
Daniel Cook, 53, escaped from the Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines prison. Cook was convicted of first-degree murder in 1997 and escaped when on a group outing accompanied by an escort.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after doubts were raised about his fitness for office. Soon after, he endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take his place in the November election.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Woman found dead in the water near Sunset Beach: Vancouver police
Investigators were at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach after a woman’s body was found in the water Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case
A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.