SAN DIEGO -- KUSI News announced Tuesday that it has placed longtime reporter Rodney "Rod" Luck on an extended leave of absence following his arrest for allegedly punching a female companion in the mouth.

The 58-year-old Luck, a fixture on KUSI's morning show, was arrested Friday in the San Francisco Bay area on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and battery.

"Rod has been put on a leave of absence and the leave of absence does not have a timeline and is because of his arrest on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and battery," News Director Steve Cohen said in a telephone interview after the television station announced the suspension on the air.

"We thought it best to not have him on the air while he deals with these allegations against him and once the case is settled, then we'll decide what we'd like to do from there."

Luck allegedly punched a 48-year-old woman with whom the South San Francisco Police Department says he has a dating relationship. Both live in La Jolla at separate residences, police said.

The alleged assault took place in a hotel room near the San Francisco International Airport shortly before 8 p.m. Friday.

According to KUSI's Web site, Luck joined the station at its inception in 1990 as sports director for the News at Ten. He later moved to mornings and currently does live remote reporting for Good Morning San Diego.