Montreal police arrest one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives at airport

A fugitive ranked among Canada’s top 10 most wanted has been arrested at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport after returning to the country, Quebec provincial police announced Saturday(August 9).

Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 36, was wanted on multiple Canada-wide warrants in connection with a 2022 Saskatoon homicide and drug trafficking charges. He was taken into custody by members of the Sûreté du Québec’s Airport Unit, the Mascouche Major Crime Investigation Division, and the Canada Border Services Agency.

On the run since 2022

Police say Ouellet-Gendron had been on the run since May 2022, when Saskatoon police identified him as a suspect in the killing of 29-year-old Brandon Baxandall. Officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 700 block of Melrose Avenue that month and found Baxandall dead behind an apartment building. Witnesses told investigators they saw two slim-built men dressed in dark clothing fleeing the scene one carrying a strapped bag.

Within days, authorities charged Ouellet-Gendron with first-degree murder, warning the public he was believed to be armed and dangerous. The case also led to other charges, including drug trafficking. The Bolo Program, which highlights Canada’s most wanted fugitives, placed Ouellet-Gendron in the number 10 spot on its list in May 2023.

The Saskatoon case has already seen one conviction,last year, Mohamed Abdula Ali was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in Baxandall’s death.

Saskatoon police later released an eight-minute YouTube video documenting the initial response and investigation. The footage included dashcam video of officers arriving at the scene, bystanders performing chest compressions, police with rifles clearing units in the apartment building, and images of three handguns recovered shortly after the killing.

Ouellet-Gendron is expected to appear in a Montreal courthouse on Sunday before being transferred to Saskatchewan to face charges.