AFL premiership player Ben Cousins is in hospital awaiting mental health assessment after driving erratically outside a Sikh temple he’d photographed and climbing onto the roof of a two-storey home.

Witnesses say a man believed to be Cousins was seen taking photos on his phone of the Gurdwara Sahib temple in Canning Vale about 11am on Monday, and drove off erratically before leaving his car in the middle of Shreeve Road.

Sikh leader Jasvinder Singh told reporters Cousins was getting in and out of his car, and almost caused accidents.

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“He was taking photos everywhere of the temple,” he said.

“He was not looking stable.”

CCTV footage showed him running from police.

He allegedly jumped fences and climbed onto the roof of a two-storey house where he paced until police talked him down.

“There was about eight police cars lined up … and then once they put somebody in the back of the paddywagon … they’ve taken off and I can hear the guy screaming and yelling and carrying on in the back of the van,” witness Travis Ward told the Seven Network.

Witness Jenny Wilson told Network Ten: “I was pretty panicked – I locked the doors and we stayed inside in one of the bedrooms until I could get confirmation from police that it (the arrest) was done.”

Police have not confirmed Cousins’ identity, but said a 36-year-old man had been arrested and taken to hospital for assessment.

They said no charges had been laid and inquiries were continuing.

Cousins remains in a stable condition in the emergency department of Armadale Hospital.

Eagles champion Glen Jakovich tweeted that he was sad to see Cousins’ current situation.

“He needs serious help and needs to get out of this country. Feel for his family,” Jakovich said.

So sad to see Ben’s current situation he needs serious help and needs to get out of this country. Feel for his family. @perthnow

— Glen Jakovich (@gjakovich27) March 23, 2015

A Nine News Perth reporter told Fairfax radio on Monday afternoon that they also saw Cousins taking photos on his iPhone outside the Gurdwara Sahib temple.

He then reportedly started talking to a woman who was in the garden and she called her husband, the temple’s leader, to come over before Cousins ran away.

Cousins got into his car and started driving erratically, leaving it in the middle of Shreeve Road and trying to break into a house before police caught him, the reporter said.

This is the third police incident Cousins has been involved in over recent weeks; he was charged in court with a slew of traffic offences and then caught trespassing at an SAS army base in Perth last week.

After the alleged trespassing offence Cousins was placed into custody for a mental health assessment but then discharged himself two days later.

Cousins fell from grace following a string of off-field incidents and substance abuse problems.

The father-of-two was suspended for one year by the AFL in 2007 for bringing the game into disrepute before making a comeback with Richmond. He retired in 2010.

Cousins is scheduled to appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court on April 8.