Ex-UNB student arrested in drugstore standoff to plead guilty in Quebec

The lawyer for Tommy Cousineau, the UNB engineering student who broke into a Fredericton drugstore and hid in the ceiling for three hours, said he will plead guilty in a Quebec court to the charges against him.

26-year-old man who hid in ceiling of a Fredericton Shoppers has moved to Quebec, court told

Gail Harding · CBC News ·
Tommy Cousineau, 26 faces numerous charges after barricading himself in the ceiling of Fredericton drugstore for three hours. (Facebook, Ed Hunter/CBC)

The lawyer for Tommy Cousineau, the UNB engineering student who broke into a Fredericton drugstore and hid in the ceiling for three hours, said he will plead guilty in a Quebec court to the charges against him. 

David Lutz told provincial court in Burton that Cousineau has moved to Quebec City, where he will appear in court on July 19. 

Cousineau, 26, is charged with break and enter, having instruments for the purpose of a break-in, and having his face covered with a mask —  

    Cousineau, 26, was arrested after the Fredericton Police Force responded to a call about an armed man in the ceiling area of the Shoppers Drug Mart on Prospect Street on Nov. 13.

    Lawyer David Lutz says his client has moved to Quebec City and will plead guilty to charges in court there. (Catherine Harrop/CBC)

    The man refused to come down and attempts to remove him were not successful, police said.

    As a result, the call developed into a "barricaded person call."

    An emergency response team, patrol officers, the canine unit and crisis negotiators were called in to help.

    The crisis negotiators were able to persuade the man to come down from the ceiling and he was arrested.

    The Crown approved transferring the case to Quebec, which Lutz said could only be done if Cousineau agreed to plea guilty. 

    With files from Catherine Harrop