WNBA star says she fears for her life after Doral stalking episode: document
WNBA star Rickea Jackson said in a petition for protection from her former boyfriend, NFL defensive end James Pearce Jr., that she fears for her life in the wake of him slamming his car into hers last month in Doral before fleeing from police.
Jackson, 24, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, but was staying in South Florida while playing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, said in the Feb. 9 petition that she had been trying to break off her three-year relationship with Pearce, but he refused to let her go.
She wrote in the petition, filed in Miami-Dade court, that Pearce, 22, sent numerous threatening text messages to her, would bang on the front door of her home and would sleep in his car parked outside her house.
READ MORE: NFL star crashed Lamborghini into ex’s car as he stalked her, Doral cops say
Jackson wrote that prior to the Feb. 7 incident that led to Pearce being subdued by Doral police, “James has threatened to kill me, James has threatened to harm me, James has threatened to injury [sic] me, James has threatened to place a bag over my head, and James has verbally and physically abused me on more than one occasion.”
The WNBA player also wrote in the petition that Pearce offered her $75,000 “just to visit with him” and “$200,000 to remain in the relationship.”
Jackson added in the petition that she was driving to her house around 9:10 a.m. Feb. 7 when she saw James in her rearview mirror driving behind her in his white Lamborghini SUV.
Instead of continuing home, Jackson called 911 and drove to the Doral police station at 6100 NW 99th Avenue “because I knew James was going to hurt me,” she wrote in the petition.
Along the way, Pearce drove his car in front of hers to block her from getting to the police station, she wrote. He then got out of his Lamborghini and tried to get into her car. He eventually chased her in his car, striking hers several times before he ran her off the road, according to the petition.
A hearing on the petition is scheduled for April 21, according to court documents.
Pearce, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons, faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding police and resisting arrest without violence. He was released from jail on Feb. 12 after posting a $15,000 bond. His attorney did not immediately respond for a request for comments about the protection-order petition.
According to his arrest report, when officers arrived at the intersection of the crash, Northwest 99th Avenue and 62nd Street, Pearce was standing outside of his car, and they ordered him at gunpoint to get on the ground.
Instead, he got into his Lamborghini and drove off. As he did, he “intentionally” hit an officer’s left knee, according to the report.
Pearce took several evasive turns to get away from the officers, including cutting through a Chevron gas station and heading north on 102nd Avenue, according to the report.
After turning left on Northwest 66th Street, he crashed at 65th Lane and Northwest 102nd Path. The car was disabled, and he ran off before officers caught him about 200 yards away, according to the report.
Police in Florida responded to at least seven other 911 calls made involving Pearce and an ex-girlfriend whose name was redacted from police reports from November until the day of Pearce’s arrest, ESPN reported.
Jackson and Pearce began dating when they were at the University of Tennessee. Pearce went on to be a first-round pick of the Falcons in last April’s NFL Draft.
Jackson plays small forward for the LA Sparks, where she was a first-round draft pick in 2024. She also plays in the Unrivaled league, which finished its second season last week and plays its games in Medley.
