Man Dies While Being Detained By OKC Police

Four Oklahoma City police officers have been placed on administrative leave following the death of a suicidal man who suddenly stopped breathing late Wednesday night while being detained by officers.

The man has been identified by family as 39-year-old Clifton Armstrong.

Police say they were attempting to detain Armstrong and put him in handcuffs for his own safety when he suddenly stopped breathing. He later died at a metro hospital.

Armstrong's mother, Velecai Maiden, says her son had a history of mental health issues and was at her home when he became progressively combative.

Maiden tells News 9 it was her son who activated a panic alarm at her home on N.W. 99th Street and that's what prompted police to show up.

According to the responding officers, Armstrong was suicidal and combative, and began taking off his clothes in the front yard. When they tried placing him in handcuffs, he became unresponsive.

Officers performed CPR on Armstrong until medics transported him to a hospital where he later died. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office will determine how Armstrong died.

Maiden says her son was just released last week from jail after being arrested for a parole violation.