Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday for a mental health evaluation following an incident in which he was exhibiting "unusual behavior," Irvine, Calif., police Lt. Rick Handfield told NBCSports.com on Thursday.

This incident came on the heels of Tuesday's arrest following a car chase in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Handfield said that a passing officer was flagged down on a city street at about 4:30 pm on Wednesday, and one of the people at the residence who was an acquaintance or relative of Jackson's told police they were "concerned about some alarming statements and unusual behavior he was exhibiting."

The responding officer spoke to Jackson, who was cooperative, and officers detained him and transported him to a local hospital for a mental evaluation.

Handfield said Jackson is not being charged with any crime in the Irvine incident, and was considered a "mental health detainment."

Jackson's present status is unclear, as California's HIPAA laws guarding medical privacy preclude police from giving any further information.

A UFC official reached said the company had no immediate comment.

On Tuesday, Jackson was arrested in nearby Costa Mesa, Calif., and charged with felony evading, reckless driving, and hit and run after police say he led them on a three-mile chase while they attempted to pull him over.

During the chase, police allege that Jackson drove on the center median, passed through red lights and drove on sidewalks, causing pedestrians to "flee in terror." He also allegedly struck at least two vehicles while weaving his Ford F-250 in and out of traffic.

In that incident, Jackson was arrested at gunpoint and was released on $25,000 bail, which was reportedly posted by UFC President Dana White, who flew there from the UFC's Las Vegas headquarters.

Originally, police said no one was injured in the chase, but a Thursday story in The Daily Pilot, a newspaper serving Costa Mesa, reported that a pregnant 38-year-old woman was injured when Jackson sideswiped her Cadillac Escalade, which could lead to new charges.

Jackson, 30, who lives in Irvine, was upset by Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 on July 5. He became the UFC champion last May when he knocked out Chuck Liddell, and successfully defended the belt against Dan Henderson before losing to Griffin by unanimous decision.

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