South Florida police arrested Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. over the weekend, after a police chase followed by a crash in a residential neighborhood that was captured on cell phone video. Law enforcement charged Pearce, 22, with a slew of possible crimes, according to online court records: two counts of felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of felony aggravated stalking, one count of felony fleeing from officers, one count of felony aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and one count of misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence.
Miami television station WPLG reported that they spoke with Doral police Chief Edwin Lopez, who told them the following: On Saturday, Pearce was at the Doral police station along with his girlfriend, Los Angeles Sparks small forward Rickea Jackson. Jackson, 24, is in South Florida to play in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which plays in the nearby town of Medley. The two, per WLPG, got into a "domestic dispute." Officers tried to arrest Pearce, but he left the station in Jackson's car, WPLG reported, leading to the chase that ended in a crash in a gated community. Afterward, multiple bystanders caught the arrest on video, which went viral before most people likely knew it was Pearce's arrest they were watching.
On Sunday, Pearce appeared before a Miami-Dade circuit judge, who set his bond at $20,500, according to online court records, as well as issuing an order for Pearce to stay away from Jackson.
Pearce and Jackson went public with their relationship at last year's NFL Draft, when the Falcons took Pearce with the 26th pick overall and the cameras showed Jackson by her boyfriend's side. Both were star athletes at the University of Tennessee, Pearce in football and Jackson in basketball. Since then, Pearce played his rookie NFL season, notching 10.5 sacks and a combined 26 tackles, and finishing third in the voting for defensive rookie of the year. Jackson, previously the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, averaged 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Sparks.
The Falcons issued a statement saying they were aware of what happened and were "in the process of gathering more information" but would not comment further.
