Helicopter used in prison escape was hijacked at gunpoint: police

A van enters the prison in Saint-Jerome, Que., Monday, March 18, 2013. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A brazen though ultimately unsuccessful Quebec helicopter jailbreak over the weekend allegedly began after two men pretending to be tourists pulled a gun on the helicopter’s pilot.

According to police, a .38-calibre handgun was used to force the pilot to fly off-course Sunday and head toward a prison in St-Jerome, Que., where two inmates managed to escape by dangling from the helicopter on a cable.

The president of Passport-Helico, the company that owns the chopper used in the incident, told CTV Montreal that the pilot thought he was taking tourists for a flight around the Mont Tremblant ski resort.

“Sometime in the air they just got some kind of weapon, a gun I've been told, and they aimed a gun to his head, they pointed a gun to his head, and they told him to fly on the rooftop of the prison,” Yves Le Roux said.

Few details are known about what happened next, but correctional services manager Yves Galarneau said the inmates were in the yard at the time the helicopter arrived at the prison.

Witnesses say that inmates Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau, 36, and Dany Provencal, 33, grabbed ropes attached to the chopper and were hoisted into the air as the chopper took off.

Le Roux said the helicopter landed in a nearby field so the inmates could board the chopper, and then the pilot was ordered to fly to a hotel parking lot where a vehicle was waiting.

The pilot was left in the parking lot with his face covered. After the suspects left, the pilot removed the mask and called for help.

But the group’s freedom was short-lived: the four suspects -- two accomplices and two inmates -- appeared in a Quebec court Monday, hours after police arrested the men and ended the dramatic jailbreak.

Police have identified the two suspects as Mathieu Steven Marchisio and Yage Beaudoin.

They are facing nearly two-dozen charges, including armed hijacking, breaking and entering and aiming a firearm at police.

They did not enter a plea on Monday afternoon and are scheduled to make their next court appearance on April 16.

Crown lawyer Steve Baribeau said Monday that the prosecution will oppose bail for all four suspects.

“You're talking about an escape from a prison -- one of our institutions -- in a helicopter," he said. "It's special."

Gunfire exchanged

Speaking to reporters, provincial police Sgt. Benoit Richard said police followed the helicopter, eventually locating one of the escapees and the two suspected accomplices in a vehicle before giving chase.

The three suspects fired at police as they ran from the car to a chalet in Chertsey, Que., about 50 kilometres north of the jail. Police returned fire, but no one was hurt in the exchange.

“When they got out of their vehicle they started shooting at the police officers. We shot back but nobody was injured,” Richard said.

Several people in the home at the time were able to safely flee the building.

The three men were eventually arrested without further incident. A fourth suspect was located several hours later. Police said Provencal was hiding out in what was described as a sugar shack-type building and surrendered peacefully.

The helicopter was located by police near Mont-Tremblant, about 85 kilometres from the prison. The pilot was taken to hospital and was questioned by police for several hours.

The pilot has been ruled out of having any involvement in the incident, as a hijacking charge has been laid.

A man who claimed to be Hudon-Barbeau had called a Montreal radio station just hours after the jailbreak to say he had been shot in the leg. In an audio recording released by Montreal's 98.5FM, the man said in French: "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just don't want to stay in prison, and I'm ready to die."

Police said Hudon-Barbeau had suffered a non-firearm related injury, and was treated in hospital.

According to a provincial police statement, Hudon-Barbeau was arrested in November 2012 on two firearm related charges and another for associating with people who have a criminal record. The arrest came as part of an investigation into a double-murder in Quebec's Laurentians.

After their court appearance Monday, the suspects were taken back to the prison, surrounded by a convoy of police cars.

Police said the suspects are considered armed and extremely dangerous; at least one has been linked to the Hells Angels biker gang by news reports.

With a report from CTV Montreal’s Cindy Sherwin