Jurors at Saskatoon inquest call on police to review arrest policies, use of 'spit socks'

Dan Zakreski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 2:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Jurors astatine a Saskatoon inquest said constabulary should review their training, policies and procedures astir subduing and arresting suspects.

The recommendations concluded a four-day inquest earlier coroner William Davern into the June 18, 2022, decease of Ashwin Poggenpoel. The 32-year-old died erstwhile officers pinned him face-down connected the crushed with his hands cuffed down his backmost and a mesh bag, known arsenic a "spit sock," implicit his head.

Davern told the inquest sheet Thursday that Poggenpoel died accidentally.

"I cannot accidental connected a equilibrium of probabilities that officers intended to harm oregon origin the decease of Mr. Poggenpoel," Davern said.

"In the lack of intent, the lone decision is an accident."

• Coroner says decease of antheral handcuffed, pinned face-down by Saskatoon constabulary an accident

Officers were called to an flat gathering adjacent City Hospital for a study of a antheral successful distress. The archetypal to arrive decided the antheral needed aesculapian attraction and called an ambulance. At that point, Poggenpoel was simply lasting with the officers and had not been arrested, Davern said.

Poggenpoel's autopsy aboriginal showed that helium had methamphetamine and cocaine successful his system. It besides determined helium died of "positional asphyxia," which happens erstwhile a person's assemblage presumption prevents capable breathing.

The 32-year-old bolted from constabulary earlier paramedics arrived and ran a artifact to Queen Street. There, helium broke into a house. Police said they were acrophobic astatine that constituent helium would wounded himself, oregon idiosyncratic successful the house.

Police caught up and past began trying to subdue Poggenpoel. Davern said Poggenpoel was successful a authorities of "excited delerium."

"A struggle ensued and they handcuffed him, enactment connected a spit sock and held him down … each the portion calling for assistance to sedate him."

Officers testified that Poggenpoel continued bucking and struggling, which they interpreted arsenic resisting. Davern said that Poggenpoel was apt confused and panicking, struggling due to the fact that helium could not breathe.

He stopped struggling aft 3 to 4 minutes, "unfortunately due to the fact that helium had stopped breathing," Davern said.

The inquest recommendations included:

• The Saskatchewan Police College reappraisal its program and instrumentality grooming connected positional asphyxia.
• Saskatoon constabulary reappraisal its usage of unit argumentation to guarantee the captious signs of a fishy successful a authorities of "excited delirium" are actively monitored.
• Saskatoon constabulary annually bid each officers connected the risks of positional asphyxia.
• The usage of unit argumentation beryllium reviewed with respect to whether spit socks ought to beryllium utilized erstwhile a idiosyncratic is successful the prone position.
• Saskatoon constabulary reviews its usage of unit argumentation successful regards to the risks associated with positional asphyxia.

Saskatoon constabulary declined an interrogation petition from CBC, alternatively supplying a written response.

"The Saskatoon Police Service has received the recommendations of the assemblage pursuing the inquest into the decease of Ashwin Poggenpoel and volition undertake a play of reappraisal of our policies and procedures successful narration to those recommendations," communications director Alyson Edwards wrote.

"The SPS volition supply a ceremonial written effect to the Office of the Chief Coroner outlining our information of, and effect to, each recommendation."