Seau, 41, was arrested around midnight, after a report was called in around 10:00 p.m. Sunday. Oceanside police told 10News that his 25-year-old live-in girlfriend, Mary Nolan, was the victim in the incident. Police said Nolan claimed Seau assaulted her during an argument.

Seau was not at the home when officers arrived, but called Nolan a short time later and agreed to come back to the residence, Oceanside Police Department Lt. Leonard Mata said. Shortly after midnight, he returned and was arrested without incident. He was booked about 2 a.m., then posted bail and was released roughly 90 minutes later, according to jail officials.

Nolan suffered superficial injuries that did not require medical treatment, Mata said.

About five hours after he was released from custody, Seau drove his 2005 Cadillac Escalade SUV off a cliff in Carlsbad, Carlsbad police told 10News.

Additionally, a witness called 10News around 9:00 a.m. to report that she saw Seau drive a car off a cliff directly in front of her near Carlsbad Boulevard and Solamar Drive.

Longtime Carlsbad surfer Murray Lea, known as "Moose" to some in the area, had just thrown away some trash when he saw something he's never seen before.

"I'm walking back to my van and all of a sudden I hear 'vroom,' right off the edge of the cliff, man … just came within about 10 feet of me, man; just blew my mind," said Lea.

Carlsbad police estimated Seau was going about 60 mph once he went airborne. The Escalade sailed through the air, landing 100 feet down on the beach.

10News traffic reporter and former California Highway Patrol officer Phil Konstantin surveyed the scene of the crash. In 1999, Konstantin's wife was killed after falling asleep while driving, and he said he has seen plenty of cases first hand.

"People will speed up, slow down, go fast, swerve, make sudden turns and stops. So this is very possible," said Konstantin.

"He got out of the car and had a couple of scratches, I guess, and he's OK, hopefully," said nearby resident Debbie Hancock, who was out walking her dog when the crash happened.

Ryan Sattley rolled up to the scene shortly afterward, and he told 10News, "I saw a guy sitting down there talking to some firefighters. He had a collar on his neck. They loaded him on a stretcher and drove him down the beach."

From there, Sattley said crews brought Seau up the hill to a waiting ambulance that took him to Scripps La Jolla hospital with minor injuries.

"It seemed like it didn't even scratch him. He was walking around. It's Junior, I mean, he's indestructible," said Lea.

Hancock added, "It's good that he survived."

As family members left the emergency room on Monday, they said Seau would be all right.

"Yeah, yeah he's fine," said a family member. When asked when Seau would be going home, the family member said, "No comment, don't know yet."

Seau was released from the hospital on Tuesday.

Carlsbad police told 10News the road was dry at the time of the incident. Lt. Kelly Cain said Seau told the first arriving officers that he had gotten sleepy while driving. However, Seau could still face charges in connection with the crash.

"He could be charged with something as minor as vehicle leaving the roadway or something greater if we come across evidence that points to that," said Cain.

Police said there was no evidence that he was intoxicated at the time and apparently was not in a suicidal state of mind.

Seau's personal assistant told 10News the former Chargers star did not try to commit suicide.

"That is myth," the man said outside Seau's Oceanside home. "No, he was not attempting to take his own life."

It is not the first time Seau has been accused of violence against women. In a 2007 lawsuit, he was accused of throwing glasses of wine at two women at the Side Bar and yelling female-specific profanities at them. The outcome of that lawsuit is not known.

Those who know Seau, and those who've seen him in his Oceanside neighborhood say they're shocked and saddened by the latest allegations.

"In my heart, I feel like he's a really good guy," said a woman who declined to give 10News her name.

"That's another side of him, that I had no idea about," said Donald Takayama, who often surfs with Seau. "I'm pretty shaken up," he said upon learning of his friend's arrest and crash off a Carlsbad crash.

Oceanside police said Seau will be charged with spousal assault with injury in connection with his live-in girlfriend's report. The couple was spotted frequently together around the Oceanside coastal community.

Seau's friends and family are strongly defending him, and his ex-wife Gina Seau spoke out saying he never harmed her during their nine-year marriage.

The 12-time Pro Bowl player, who established Seau's Restaurant in Mission Valley 14 years ago and subsequently opened another eatery in Temecula, was a standout athlete at the University of Southern California.

He played for the Chargers from 1990 to 2002, the Miami Dolphins from 2003 to 2005 and the New England Patriots from 2006 to 2009.

Seau has not officially retired from professional football, though early this year he announced his intention to do so in the near future.

Late Monday, a locksmith was seen changing the locks at Seau's home.