WNBA star Rickea Jackson called the police about her NFL player ex-boyfriend at least seven times in the weeks leading up to his arrest, police records have revealed.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr was arrested in early February after allegedly ramming his Lamborghini SUV into Jackson’s car in Doral, Florida.
Remarkable images from the scene emerged on social media shortly after, of six police officers pinning him to the ground while trying to detain him after the collision.
Now, a new police report obtained by ESPN has detailed heightening fears from Jackson that she was being stalked and harassed, and that she believed Pearce had tried to break into her apartment.
Jackson is not named in the police report, but her identity as the female involved in the case was confirmed by Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez after the arrest, and her attorney has since confirmed she is ‘willing to testify’ against Pearce if the domestic violence charges against him go to trial.
The newly-obtained police report details that police officers were repeatedly dispatched to a residence in Doral which is described as the home of Pearce’s on-off girlfriend.
Rickea Jackson called 911 ‘at least seven times’ about ex-boyfriend James Pearce Jr before he was arrested, a new police report has alleged
The Atlanta Falcons rookie faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated stalking and fleeing police after a domestic incident with Jackson in February
No arrests were made on any visit and the name or names of those who made the calls to police were redacted from the documents.
Representatives for Pearce, Jackson and the Atlanta Falcons have declined to comment.
During one police visit on January 28, the woman living at the home identified Pearce as the subject of a domestic disturbance complaint and is said to have told police that she did not want him to enter the property.
It is then alleged that she decided to leave the property and instead go to stay in a hotel, such was her ‘fear’ that the situation would escalate.
Earlier on January 28, police had attended another call to the property in ’emergency mode’ amid reports of a daytime burglary in progress.
The report again describes Pearce as the ‘subject’, but it is unclear what occurred and Ms Jackson told police that she saw Pearce leaving before the cops arrived.
Months earlier, on November 24, there was another domestic disturbance call in which Jackson alleged that Pearce had come to her property and wanted to enter after calling a landline ‘various times’.
WNBA star Jackson (second left) was pictured alongside Pearce Jr at the NFL Draft last year
She is currently playing in Unrivaled for the Breeze, and was on court hours before the arrest
She claimed that Pearce ‘owed her $70,000’ and the debt was the purpose of his visit, but that he left before police arrived.
Multiple further incidents were alleged in the police report, including on February 1 and 2, just days before Pearce was at NFL Honors and nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The incident has now thrown his NFL career into doubt at the end of his first season, though Pearce maintains his innocence.
He appeared before a judge in a pre-trial hearing last month, during which he was granted a $20,500 bond and was ordered to stay away from Jackson. His attorneys insisted he will do exactly that.
‘We look forward to working with the State Attorney’s office in fully investigating this case and uncovering the truth,’ Pearce’s attorney, Jacob Nunez, said in a statement.
‘Mr. Pearce maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that it is hardly the full, complete story.
‘We look forward to vigorously defending our client and remain confident that he will continue contributing positively to both his team and the community he serves so well.’
In the incident that led to his arrest, authorities claim that Jackson noticed Pearce’s Lamborghini SUV behind her at 9:25am on Saturday February 7 as she turned into her neighborhood, and that when she stopped at a red light he got out of his vehicle and attempted to open her driver’s side door.
She is alleged to have then sped off towards the Doral Police Department HQ, also calling 911, when Pearce then rear-ended her car.
Cops then claim that as Jackson tried to evade Pearce Jr, he blocked her entrance to the police station and then as she reversed in an attempt to escape, he ‘intentionally collided head-on with her vehicle.’
The 22-year-old finished third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting earlier this week
A separate report from different officers claims that when they arrived on the scene, one cop pulled a gun on Pearce and ordered him to the ground, but he then got back into his Lamborghini.
Police say officers then attempted to open the door to get him out twice, but he fled and hit an officer in the knee as he drove away.
After a police chase, Pearce eventually crashed near Northwest 102nd Path and 65th Lane before trying to run away, when he was then caught by officers.
‘While officers were attempting to apprehend (Pearce), (he) began to resist arrest by tensing his arms and not allowing officers to apprehend him,’ the report then adds. ‘After a short struggle, the defendant was taken into custody shortly after.’
