Man dies after 'medical episode' in police custody. No use of force, police say.

Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman
Updated ·1 min read
The Oklahoma County Crisis Center at 2625 General Pershing Blvd. in Oklahoma City, opened in 2013. Police said a man died Tuesday night outside the crisis center after officers had taken him to the facility during what they described as a "medical episode."
The Oklahoma County Crisis Center at 2625 General Pershing Blvd. in Oklahoma City, opened in 2013. Police said a man died Tuesday night outside the crisis center after officers had taken him to the facility during what they described as a "medical episode."

Police said a man died in custody after experiencing a "fatal medical episode" late Tuesday before entering a mental health facility in Oklahoma City.

About 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to reports of a naked man on the sidewalk near NW 4th St and N Hudson Ave. Police took him into custody and "quickly determined the naked man was experiencing a mental health crisis," the department said in a media release Wednesday.

Officers took the man to the Oklahoma County Crisis Intervention Center, where they started to dress the man in clothing so they could take him into the facility, but then "he suddenly collapsed," according to police. He was rushed to a local hospital, where medical officials pronounced him dead.

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"There was no use of force involved at any point in this incident," police said in the media release.

Officials are withholding the man's identity until his family is notified. Medical examiners are expected to determine the cause of death.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Man dead after 'medical episode' in custody, OKC police say