The dawn raid in Montreal ended a tense, week-long manhunt that had residents across Quebec on edge. Provincial police officers, acting on intelligence gathered through an intensive investigation, cornered 27-year-old David Lantin in an apartment building in Montreal’s east end around 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
Lantin, serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, had vanished from the medium-security Federal Training Centre in Laval last Friday. His dramatic escape from the facility, located just north of Montreal, triggered a province-wide alert and dominated headlines across the region.
“We can confirm the dangerous fugitive has been apprehended without incident,” Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Jean Tremblay told reporters at an impromptu press conference. “Public safety was our absolute priority throughout this operation.“
Sources close to the investigation revealed that Lantin had received help from associates on the outside, though police remain tight-lipped about specific details while the investigation continues. Lantin was convicted in 2019 for the brutal stabbing death of a convenience store clerk during a robbery gone wrong in Sherbrooke.
The capture brings relief to communities across southern Quebec, where schools had implemented enhanced security measures and residents reported anxiety about a killer on the loose. In Saint-Jérôme, about 60 kilometers northwest of Montreal, local mother Camille Bergeron expressed the sentiment shared by many: “I’ve been checking my doors twice every night since we heard about the escape. My kids haven’t been allowed to play outside alone.”
The week-long manhunt involved coordination between multiple police forces, including the Sûreté du Québec, Montreal police, and the RCMP. Correctional Service Canada has launched an internal investigation into how Lantin managed to escape from the facility, which houses approximately 400 inmates.
“There will be a full review of security protocols,” confirmed CSC regional deputy commissioner Marie Desjardins. “Initial findings suggest human error may have played a role, rather than physical security failures.”
According to crime analyst Pierre Morrissette, who spoke with CBC Radio earlier this week, prison escapes have become increasingly rare in Canada’s federal system. “What makes this case unusual is that medium-security facilities typically don’t experience these kinds of breaches. When they do happen, they’re almost always the result of a systematic security breakdown.”
Data from Public Safety Canada shows only three successful escapes from federal institutions nationwide in the previous fiscal year, with all fugitives eventually recaptured.
The Federal Training Centre, established in 1952, is part of a complex of correctional facilities in the Laval area. It primarily houses offenders serving sentences of two years or more who are deemed to require medium-security supervision.
For residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the prison, the incident has raised concerns about communication during emergencies. Marie-Claude Robitaille, who lives less than a kilometer from the facility, didn’t learn about the escape until nearly four hours after it occurred.
“We should have been notified immediately,” she said, while walking her dog near her Saint-François neighborhood home. “There should be a system to alert everyone in the area when something like this happens.”
Local officials have promised to review the emergency alert protocols. Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer acknowledged the delay in public notification during a city council meeting Tuesday night, calling it “unacceptable” and vowing to work with provincial authorities to improve response times.
The Quebec Provincial Police Association praised the work of investigators but noted that budget constraints have stretched resources thin. “Our members worked around the clock on this case,” said association president Louis-Philippe Thibault. “But we’re constantly being asked to do more with less.”
Lantin now faces additional charges related to his escape, which could add years to his sentence. He was already ineligible for parole until 2034 under the terms of his murder conviction.
Criminal defense lawyer Danielle St-Pierre, who was not involved in Lantin’s case but has represented clients at the same facility, explained that escape attempts typically result in transfer to higher-security institutions and loss of privileges.
“Beyond the new criminal charges, there are severe institutional consequences,” she noted. “Any progress toward rehabilitation essentially resets to zero.”
As Lantin was transported back to custody under heavy guard Thursday morning, questions remain about potential accomplices who may have assisted in his brief taste of freedom. Police indicated that the investigation into the network that supported him remains active, with more arrests possible in the coming days.
For now, residents across the province are breathing easier knowing the manhunt has concluded. At a coffee shop near the apartment building where Lantin was captured, patrons expressed relief mixed with lingering concern about prison security.
“It’s good they caught him,” said retired teacher Marcel Gagnon, stirring his morning coffee. “But it makes you wonder—how many others could slip through the cracks if they really wanted to?”
