Quebec Coroner Recommends Montreal Police Review Use of Force After 2025 Death
The coroner said the restraint likely helped cause Cruz’s death and urged Montreal police to review use-of-force practices after the 2025 incident.
- On Aug. 12, Quebec coroner Ghane Kamel urged Montreal police to review use-of-force practices following the 2025 death of 29-year-old Abisay Cruz, citing the hogtie technique as a likely contributing factor.
- Cruz died on March 30, 2025, following an altercation on a Saint-Michel apartment balcony where police were called regarding an agitated man before he was pronounced dead in hospital.
- Kamel concluded the death was accidental, noting a "toxic level" of cocaine in his system, though she warned that binding limbs behind the back poses serious risks of asphyxiation.
- The incident, occurring during a 12-hour window involving two separate Montreal police operations, sparked local protests as footage of the intervention heightened community distrust toward law enforcement.
- Kamel noted the restraint method is restricted or banned by many organizations due to safety concerns, and her report highlights conflicting versions of events provided by the family and officers present.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Medicine Hat NewsMontreal police used banned hog-tie restraint before man, 29, died, coroner finds
MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner is urging Montreal police to review its restraint and use of force practices following the 2025 death of a 29-year-old man. According to Géhane Kamel's report dated Aug.
A technique of restraint known as "hogty", or tied feet and fists, probably contributed to the death of Abisay Cruz.
The Toronto Star
Quebec coroner recommends Montreal police review use of force after 2025 death
MONTREAL - A Quebec coroner is urging Montreal police to review its restraint and use of force practices following the 2025 death of Abisay Cruz.
A Quebec coroner urged the Montreal police to review their practices of restraint and use of force, following the death of Abisay Cruz in 2025.
Hogtie technique by Montreal police 'probably' a factor in man's 'accidental' death: coroner
A coroner's report found that the death of 29-year-old Abisay Cruz following a police altercation in 2025 was accidental, but that the hogtie technique used by police to restrain him may have been a contributing factor.
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