 (CNN) -- Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Oceanside, California, shortly after midnight Monday, just hours before he drove his car off a cliff in nearby Carlsbad, authorities said. The former New England Patriots player was the only person in the Cadillac SUV, and was conscious and in a hospital recovering from minor injuries, police said. Seau was arrested on a charge of felony spousal assault with injury after a dispute with his 25-year-old live-in girlfriend, according to the Oceanside Police Department. The alleged victim is Seau's 25-year-old live-in girlfriend, who had minor injuries that didn't require medical treatment. Seau wasn't at the residence when the police arrived, but he later agreed to return home after he called his girlfriend and spoke to officers on the scene, police said. The domestic violence incident began when Oceanside police were called to Seau's residence to investigate a report of an assault late Sunday night, police said. The former star linebacker was booked at Vista Detention Facility and released around 3:30 a.m. after he posted bail. Some time later Monday morning, Seau drove his white Cadillac SUV off a cliff and landed on the beach at Carlsbad, police said.
– Former NFL star Junior Seau has been hospitalized after driving his car off a cliff in California. The ex-linebacker had been arrested on domestic violence charges and released on bail hours earlier, CNN reports. His 25-year-old live-in girlfriend sustained minor injuries in the domestic incident, according to cops. Seau, star of reality show Sports Jobs with Junior Seau, told police he fell asleep at the wheel, according to ABC News.