Rickea Jackson, ‘in fear of my life,’ filed for protective order vs. James Pearce Jr.

WNBA player Rickea Jackson filed a motion for protection against her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons power forward James Pearce Jr., claiming she was “scared for my life” and that if the court didn’t intervene, she thought “James would kill me,” according to court documents obtained by ESPN.

Jackson, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, filed for an injunction for protection against dating violence in the days after Pearce’s arrest on charges of battery and stalking after he allegedly crashed his car into her on Feb. 7. Jackson separately filed a notice with the court that she was willing to testify in the proceedings against Pearce.

The court granted his initial request for protection and a permanent injunction hearing is set for April 21. Pearce was ordered not to have contact with Jackson or come within 500 feet of his home or place of employment or 100 feet of his vehicle.

Jackson wrote that Pearce “verbally and physically assaulted me on more than one occasion” and threatened to kill her, injure her and place a bag over her head, according to the court filing.

Jackson also detailed the Feb. 7 incident that led to Pearce’s arrest, saying she saw Pearce following her in her vehicle as she walked home and that she called 911 and went to a police station in Doral, Fla., “because I knew James was going to hurt me.” She said Pearce chased her at high speed and blocked her with his car at a traffic light, trying to get into her car and jumping on top of the vehicle.

She said he then got back into his vehicle and chased her car, hitting her several times causing her to spin out. She said he cut her off from his vehicle and ended up spinning. She said Pearce ran her off the road before she reached the Doral police station. Arriving at the station, she flagged down an officer as Pearce rammed her car with his. It was at this point that the officer attempted to arrest Pearce, who left the scene. The initial report of the incident stated that police pointed a gun at Pearce and he did not obey their commands, opting instead to return to his car.

Pearce then allegedly struck a police officer with his car, according to the initial incident report, before he crashed his vehicle and fled, but was eventually arrested by officers.

Pearce, 22, faces five charges: two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated harassment, fleeing and eluding police officers, and aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer. He also faces nine traffic tickets and one misdemeanor count of resisting a police officer without violence toward his person.

Jackson, 24, wrote in the petition that she became even more afraid for her safety after trying to break up with Pearce weeks before his arrest. She also said Pearce told her he would give her “up to $75,000” to visit him and “$200,000 to stay in contact with him” in the hours before the Feb. 7 incident.

The Falcons declined to comment to ESPN. Jackson’s attorneys and Pearce’s attorney and agent did not immediately respond to messages left by ESPN.

Jackson said Pearce thought she was cheating on him and tensions escalated during a confrontation in January. She wrote in the petition that Pearce took her cellphone, pulled her hair and stole her things, and that she did not want to have a relationship with him after the confrontation. She said: ‘James did not listen to my request and launched a campaign of threats, physical attacks and abuse against me.’

The description of the encounter is similar to one that occurred in an Uber, according to a Jan. 28 police report filed in Davie, Fla., and obtained by ESPN.

Davie police spoke with Jackson in person and then by phone with Pearce, who said there was no physical altercation. In the report, he admitted to thinking Jackson was cheating and explained that she offered to let him search both of her phones. An Uber driver who was present during at least part of the incident told police he only observed a verbal argument, not a physical one, and that police saw no bruises or injuries on Jackson, determining there was no evidence of a crime due to the conflicting statements and lack of physical injuries.

Florida police responded to at least seven other 911 calls involving Pearce and an ex-girlfriend whose name was redacted from police reports from November until the day of Pearce’s arrest.

Jackson said in the petition that Pearce harassed her via text messages, asked her to stay in contact with him and “constantly knocked on my front door on multiple occasions.” She also said he slept in his car outside her house while waiting for her to leave and was standing outside her house when he was told to leave.

A Jan. 13 police report says authorities told Pearce not to return to his ex-girlfriend’s home.