diff --git a/pkg/cri/sbserver/sandbox_run.go b/pkg/cri/sbserver/sandbox_run.go
index aef452c1e..214a689ed 100644
--- a/pkg/cri/sbserver/sandbox_run.go
+++ b/pkg/cri/sbserver/sandbox_run.go
@@ -31,19 +31,18 @@ import (
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	runtime "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/runtime/v1"
 
-	eventtypes "github.com/containerd/containerd/api/events"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/sbserver/podsandbox"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/protobuf"
-	sb "github.com/containerd/containerd/sandbox"
-
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/log"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/annotations"
 	criconfig "github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/config"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/sbserver/podsandbox"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/server/bandwidth"
 	sandboxstore "github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/store/sandbox"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/util"
 	ctrdutil "github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/cri/util"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/netns"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/protobuf"
+	sb "github.com/containerd/containerd/sandbox"
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -272,28 +271,28 @@ func (c *criService) RunPodSandbox(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.RunPodSandbox
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to add sandbox %+v into store: %w", sandbox, err)
 	}
 
+	// TODO: Use sandbox client instead
+	exitCh := make(chan containerd.ExitStatus, 1)
+	go func() {
+		defer close(exitCh)
+
+		ctx := ctrdutil.NamespacedContext()
+		resp, err := controller.Wait(ctx, id)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Error("failed to wait for sandbox exit")
+			exitCh <- *containerd.NewExitStatus(containerd.UnknownExitStatus, time.Time{}, err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		exitCh <- *containerd.NewExitStatus(resp.ExitStatus, protobuf.FromTimestamp(resp.ExitedAt), nil)
+	}()
+
 	// start the monitor after adding sandbox into the store, this ensures
 	// that sandbox is in the store, when event monitor receives the TaskExit event.
 	//
 	// TaskOOM from containerd may come before sandbox is added to store,
 	// but we don't care about sandbox TaskOOM right now, so it is fine.
-	go func() {
-		resp, err := controller.Wait(ctrdutil.NamespacedContext(), id)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Error("failed to wait for sandbox controller, skipping exit event")
-			return
-		}
-
-		e := &eventtypes.TaskExit{
-			ContainerID: id,
-			ID:          id,
-			// Pid is not used
-			Pid:        0,
-			ExitStatus: resp.ExitStatus,
-			ExitedAt:   resp.ExitedAt,
-		}
-		c.eventMonitor.backOff.enBackOff(id, e)
-	}()
+	c.eventMonitor.startSandboxExitMonitor(context.Background(), id, resp.GetPid(), exitCh)
 
 	sandboxRuntimeCreateTimer.WithValues(labels["oci_runtime_type"]).UpdateSince(runtimeStart)