Atlanta Falcon rookie James Pearce Jr. was arrested on felony assault charges after a disturbing video of him being arrested surfaced on the internet.
Video shows Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr. being arrested on felony charges after police say he rammed his Lamborghini into the vehicle of his ex-girlfriend, WNBA Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson, during a chase.
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) February 8, 2026
Authorities say he was taken into custody after crashing… pic.twitter.com/anVZYvvYTs
Standout athletes and a power couple at Tennessee, Pearce Jr. was drafted by the Falcons and recorded 10.5 sacks in his rookie season, while Rickea Jackson was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
James Pearce Jr. throwing his career away after a 10.5 sack rookie season pic.twitter.com/2iXN0S9Aeh
— carson (@youngsheldonite) February 8, 2026
Man, if only we could have seen this coming about James Pearce Jr. pic.twitter.com/h8HXlDjbYk
— GhettoGronk (@GhettoGronk) February 8, 2026
Prayers and well-wishes for Jackson, who was confirmed as the victim in the incident, were widespread.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Rickea Jackson, the girlfriend of James Pearce Jr.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) February 8, 2026
🙏🙏🙏
Extremely scary situation. pic.twitter.com/h2snPQEGIC
One of my favorite players in the wnba. Praying for you 🙏 rickea jackson. It took 6 officers to take down james pierce Jr. So I can only imagine what she was dealing with. That's a DEFENSIVE END. Crashing your Lambo into her multiple times?? That's intent to kill. He's a coward. pic.twitter.com/aq9czlwY0u
— Boötes void 🌌 (@_Shock_and_awe) February 8, 2026
The Falcons released the following statement: “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.”