James Pearce Jr. Arrested After Alleged Incident with WNBA Player and Police Officer
Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr. was arrested on Saturday in Florida on multiple felony charges. Reports indicate that Pearce Jr. allegedly repeatedly hit the vehicle of WNBA player Rickea Jackson, and then struck a police officer while attempting to evade arrest. According to the criminal complaint obtained by Alofoke Deportes from the Miami-Dade County prosecutor’s office, Pearce Jr. faces five felony charges. These include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated stalking, and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. He was released Sunday night after posting a $20,500 bond. Jackson, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, told police that Pearce Jr. had been following her in a white Lamborghini SUV on Saturday morning. When Jackson stopped at a red light, Pearce Jr. tried to open the door of her car. Jackson accelerated and headed towards the Doral Police Department. Pearce Jr. followed her and, according to Jackson, “intentionally collided with the rear of her vehicle” with his SUV. Upon reaching the intersection near the police station, Pearce Jr. blocked her path and, when she tried to reverse, he crashed his car into hers head-on. Jackson’s vehicle photographs showed damage consistent with his account. Doral police officers responded to the scene after Jackson called. According to the affidavit, they saw Pearce Jr. standing outside his SUV with the door open. An officer pointed a gun at him and ordered him to get on the ground. Pearce Jr. went back into his car, closed the door and then locked it, secured it, and drove away. While Pearce Jr. was driving away, the SUV hit an officer in the left knee. The affidavit describes this as “intentional in an attempt to evade arrest”. The police pursued Pearce Jr.’s vehicle until it crashed at an intersection. Pearce Jr. exited the car and fled on foot, but the officers apprehended him. However, Pearce Jr. “began to resist arrest by tensing his arms and not allowing the officers to apprehend him.” The sworn statement indicates that Pearce Jr. was “evaluated on the scene” and then transported to Jackson West Medical Center for further evaluation. He spent Saturday night and most of Sunday in custody. Pearce Jr. faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated stalking. Other charges include fleeing and evading police officers and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, also felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence towards their person.Jackson told the police that she and Pearce Jr. had a relationship of approximately three years, but they recently broke up. Jackson blocked Pearce Jr.’s phone number to avoid contact, but he used an alternative number to text her. A message from Jackson on Friday afternoon asked Pearce Jr. to leave her alone and that she didn’t want to hear from him. Pearce Jr.’s text messages continued throughout Friday and Saturday morning. Jackson showed the messages to the police. The NFL will review the matter under the personal conduct policy. The Falcons issued a statement on Saturday night saying they were “gathering more information.” Pearce Jr., who finished third in the voting for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year at the NFL Honors on Thursday, set a Falcons rookie record with 10.5 sacks in 2025.“We look forward to working with the State Attorney’s Office to thoroughly investigate this case and uncover the truth. Mr. Pearce maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while the allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that is not the whole story. We look forward to vigorously defending our client and are confident that he will continue to contribute positively to both his team and the community he serves so well.”
James Pearce Jr. Legal Team
