Report: James Pearce 'lucky to be alive' after driving into police officer amid alleged Rickea Jackson assault

James Pearce was arrested on Saturday, just around a month after his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons. Pearce was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following a police chase and aggravated stalking and fleeing/eluding police. He was accused of crashing his car into his girlfriend’s, Rickea Jackson, in order to stop her from getting to the police.

Turns out, Jackson’s car is not the only thing Pearce went after. According to Andy Slater, Pearce “intentionally” drove into a police officer. His goal appeared to be getting away from the scene, hitting the officer in the knee. Slater also reports somebody told him Pearce is “lucky to be alive” after the incident.

“SLATER SCOOP: Pearce Jr. also intentionally drove into a police officer, hitting the cop’s knee in an effort to get away, I’m told,” Slater said via X. “The Atlanta Falcons linebacker is ‘lucky to be alive’ after that, a high-ranking police source tells me.”

Pearce will now spend most of his offseason dealing with the law after putting together a promising season on the field. All 17 games were played by the rookie defensive end after being a first-round pick of the Falcons out of Tennessee. His sack total reached double digits, getting to 10.5.

Ten tackles for a loss, 16 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery also took place. Pearce finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, which eventually went to Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Promising numbers in Year One, matching what he put together at times when playing on Rocky Top.

More on arrest of Atlanta Falcons rookie, James Pearce

Police confirmed to WPLG the woman involved in the domestic dispute was WNBA star Rickea Jackson. Jackson and Pearce were a couple during the summer of 2025, but Jackson confirmed their split in early September.

According to WPLG, James Pearce was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Bond has not yet been set.

Pearce was a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, taken by the Atlanta Falcons as the No. 26 overall selection in the draft. Atlanta released the following statement to TMZ:

“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report