Quebec provincial police are searching for an inmate that escaped prison on foot Thursday night via the courtyard fence.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police say Dave Gingras-Gaudet, 37, escaped the Quebec City detention centre where he had been incarcerated since last winter.
The man has a long criminal record and made headlines last February when he was fleeing police in Quebec City. He was eventually arrested and charged with arms possession, concealment and drug related offenses.
READ MORE: Alabama prison officer, escaped inmate heard in 911 call before capture
Authorities issued a release Friday saying Gingras-Gaudet had the help of two accomplices when he escaped the prison during an outing to the outdoor courtyard at around 8:30 p.m.
Officers say he somehow breached the fence on the prison grounds and fled on foot. The two other people involved were inmates but did not try to flee with him.
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in tracing the fugitive, who is five-foot-seven in height, weighs about 138 pounds, has short brown hair, green eyes, a goatee, and tattoos on his arms, chest and back. His appearance may have since changed.
At the time of his escape he was wearing a black T-shirt and pale blue jeans.
READ MORE: Maurice ‘Mom’ Boucher, former Hells Angels boss, dies in prison from cancer
Quebec City police and provincial police searched for him in the hours following the incident but are now asking the public to keep an eye out. Anyone who thinks they have localized him should call the SQ’s criminal information center at 1-800-659-4264.
Police warn the public to not approach the 37-year-old if they believe they have seen him.
READ MORE: Fugitive Alabama prison officer dies after police capture escaped inmate in Indiana
An internal investigation around the circumstances of his escape is being conducted by public security. The SQ says they will interrogate the other two inmates involved.