Coroner says death of man handcuffed, pinned face-down by Saskatoon police an accident

The coroner at a Saskatoon inquest says Saskatoon police did not intend to harm or kill 32-year-old Ashwin Poggenpoel when they pinned him face-down on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back and a mesh bag over his head.

Coroner William Davern told the inquest panel Thursday that Poggenpoel died accidentally. The conclusion triggered an immediate response from the gallery.

"This is a joke. Cops continue to kill us on the street. This is our life," said one woman as she stormed out, slamming the ballroom door. Loud sobs could be heard from the hallway.

Davern made the comments as he gave instructions to the three men and three women on the panel prior to their deliberations. Their mandate is not to lay blame, but rather suggest ways to prevent future deaths, he said.

They sat through three days of testimony, police body camera footage and reports.

"I cannot say on a balance of probabilities that officers intended to harm or cause the death of Mr. Poggenpoel," Davern said.

"In the absence of intent, the only conclusion is an accident."

In reviewing the evidence, Davern described a chaotic scene from June 18, 2022.

Officers were called to an apartment building near City Hospital for a report of a man in distress. The first to arrive decided the man needed medical attention and called an ambulance. At that point, Poggenpoel was simply standing with the officers and had not been arrested, Davern said.

Poggenpoel's autopsy later showed that he had methamphetamine and cocaine in his system.

The 32-year-old bolted from police before paramedics arrived and ran a block to Queen Street. There, he broke into a house. Police said they were concerned at that point he would hurt himself, or someone in the house.

Police caught up and then began trying to subdue Poggenpoel. Davern said Poggenpoel was in a state of "excited delerium."

"A struggle ensued and they handcuffed him, put on a spit sock and held him down … all the while calling for help to sedate him."

The spit sock, a breathable mesh bag over his head, was meant to prevent him from spraying blood and saliva on the two officers pinning his legs and buttocks.

Officers testified that Poggenpoel continued bucking and struggling, which they interpreted as resisting. Davern said that Poggenpoel was likely confused and panicking, struggling because he could not breathe.

He stopped struggling after three to four minutes, "unfortunately because he had stopped breathing," Davern said.

Pathologist Dr. Shaun Ladham concluded that Poggenpoel died of "positional asphyxia," which happens when a person's body position prevents adequate breathing.

Ladham said the drugs in the 32-year-old's system could have contributed to his death, as could have the cardiovascular disease he detected.

Davern noted, however, that Ladham did not say that Poggenpoel died of a drug overdose or cardiac arrest.