SAN DIEGO — The director of the massively popular “Kony 2012” video about a fugitive Ugandan rebel leader was detained by police after he was found allegedly masturbating in public and vandalizing cars in San Diego, KNSD-TV reported Friday.

Jason Russell, co-founder of the humanitarian group Invisible Children, was also apparently intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance when cops confronted him on a street corner in San Diego Thursday, police said.

Police said Russell was “acting very strange.” TMZ reported that Russell was dancing in the street wearing “speedo-like underwear,” and then stripped and began making sexual gestures.

He was not arrested, police said at a press conference.

“He was no problem for the police department, however, during the evaluation we learned that we probably needed to take care of him,” said police Lt. Andra Brown at a press conference, according to KNSD-TV. “We determined that medical treatment was a better course of action than arrest.”

Russell catapulted to national fame this month after the “Kony 2012” video went viral. The video focuses on Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, who is accused of recruiting children into sexual slavery and using them to fight against Uganda’s government.

Since it surfaced on the internet in early March, the 30-minute video has become one of the most viral in history with some 137.2 million views, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey issued a statement today saying that Russell had been struggling under his newfound fame, and has been hospitalized for “exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition,” according to KNSD-TV.

“He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday,” Keesey said.

“Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.”

WARNING: Video contains graphic content

