James Pearce Jr. Arrested, Charged With Aggravated Battery, Stalking

South Florida police arrested Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. over the weekend, after a police chase followed by a crash in a residential neighborhood that was captured on cell phone video. Law enforcement charged Pearce, 22, with a slew of possible crimes, according to online court records: two counts of felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of felony aggravated stalking, one count of felony fleeing from officers, one count of felony aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and one count of misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence.

Miami television station WPLG reported that they spoke with Doral police Chief Edwin Lopez, who told them the following: On Saturday, Pearce was at the Doral police station along with his girlfriend, Los Angeles Sparks small forward Rickea Jackson. Jackson, 24, is in South Florida to play in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which plays in the nearby town of Medley. The two, per WLPG, got into a "domestic dispute." Officers tried to arrest Pearce, but he left the station in Jackson's car, WPLG reported, leading to the chase that ended in a crash in a gated community. Afterward, multiple bystanders caught the arrest on video, which went viral before most people likely knew it was Pearce's arrest they were watching.

On Sunday, Pearce appeared before a Miami-Dade circuit judge, who set his bond at $20,500, according to online court records, as well as issuing an order for Pearce to stay away from Jackson.