'I need to do something': Man who subdued murder suspect shares harrowing tale

Trevor Pritchard · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 4:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

As Luis Santiago tells it, he was conscionable reacting however immoderate acrophobic begetter would have.

On Tuesday, Santiago was astir to prime up his kids successful Lowertown erstwhile helium abruptly recovered himself locked successful a convulsive conflict with a antheral accused of stabbing a pistillate to death.

He would extremity up punching the man, placing him successful a chokehold and yet subduing him until information guards and constabulary arrived connected the scene.

"There's ever kids walking successful this area, parents getting disconnected work, picking up their kids astatine the daycare," said Santiago, who shared the communicative of his harrowing encounter with CBC connected Thursday.

"I was reasoning successful my head, you know, I request to bash something."

Death labelled a femicide

Ottawa constabulary and paramedics were called to a location connected Heney Street successful Lowertown astatine astir 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.

That was wherever they found 51-year-old Renée Descary with superior stab wounds.

Paramedics said Descary, an worker with the Canada Revenue Agency, was pronounced dormant astatine the scene. A 2nd idiosyncratic was taken to infirmary successful unchangeable condition, they said.

The pursuing morning, constabulary announced they had charged 24-year-old Oliver Denia with second-degree execution and had labelled Descary's decease a femicide.

They besides said respective members of the nationalist helped detain Denia, with immoderate of them suffering insignificant injuries successful the process. Their actions, constabulary said, were "quite heroic."

Sporting a brace connected his close forearm, Santiago told CBC however he'd been successful his car Tuesday day erstwhile helium spotted a antheral going up and down the street, hitting vehicles.

Santiago said that erstwhile the antheral approached his car, helium punched the model and tried to yank the doorway open. That was erstwhile Santiago called 911.

The antheral past veered distant from his car, Santiago said, and went up to a house, kicking the doorway open and barging in. 

Still connected the telephone with the 911 dispatcher, Santiago said helium abruptly heard large screams coming from wrong the home.

"I get retired of my car, and I spot a young [woman] covered successful humor and moving out. And I spot a feline with a weapon — a large knife, a room knife."

'Please, God, springiness maine much strength'

As the antheral tried to pursuit the woman, helium fell down the home's steps, Santiago said.

Santiago said helium rushed up to the antheral and kicked and punched him, causing him to driblet his knife. The antheral past chased Santiago backmost to his car, jumped in the driver's spot and tried to commencement it — but without success.

Santiago said helium leapt into the rider broadside and started punching the antheral successful the face.

The brace yet ended up backmost outside, wherever Santiago said helium deed him again and put him successful a chokehold until Ottawa Community Housing information officers arrived and placed the antheral successful handcuffs.

"I [had] him successful a headlock, and was like, 'Please, God, springiness maine much strength.' Because helium was truly resisting."

Emergency crews rushed to the scene, wherever they recovered Descary wrong the location and took the antheral into custody. Santiago was rushed to the ambulance, excessively — helium was covered successful humor — and portion helium injured his forearm successful the scuffle and got hit in the backmost of the head, helium said helium was not seriously hurt.

Ottawa constabulary person said that the fishy successful Tuesday's homicide and the unfortunate did not cognize each other.

Santiago said the antheral helium subdued appeared to person been connected drugs. In the days since, helium said he's been contemplating however severely things could person turned retired that afternoon.

"My girl goes to schoolhouse close here. My daughter's champion person lives [in the] location close implicit there," helium said. "So I'm reasoning astir the kids — and however galore radical helium could person hurt."