Falcons' James Pearce Jr. faces three felony charges, misdemeanor after incident involving Rickea Jackson

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. faces three felony charges and a misdemeanor following his Feb. 7 arrest, which stemmed from a domestic dispute between him and his ex-girlfriend, Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson.

A state attorney in Florida brought charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence to his or her person against Pearce while changing a felony aggravated stalking charge to a misdemeanor, according to a court document obtained by ESPN. The state attorney dropped one charge of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer.

Pearce "maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that it is hardly the full, complete story," his legal team said Thursday to ESPN.

Jackson said to police that the incident occurred shortly after she and Pearce ended their relationship. Pearce purportedly contacted Jackson leading up to the incident despite her blocking his phone number and requesting that he leave her alone.

The criminal complaint states that Pearce followed Jackson in a white Lamborghini SUV. When she stopped at a red light, Pearce exited his SUV and attempted to open Jackson's driver's side door. Jackson drove off and toward the Doral Police Department, and Pearce continued to follow her, at one point colliding with the rear end of her vehicle. Pearce then cut Jackson off at an intersection near the police station and collided with her vehicle head-on when she attempted to get away.

An officer pulled a firearm on Pearce upon arrival on the scene and ordered him to get on the ground. Pearce, who was standing outside his SUV, re-entered the vehicle and closed the door. The officer opened the door, but Pearce closed it, locked it, and fled the scene. While driving away, Pearce allegedly struck an officer in the left knee with his SUV.

Pearce later crashed the vehicle, fled the scene on foot, and resisted arrest when police caught up to him.

Authorities booked Pearce into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, where he posted a $20,5000 bond and was released on Feb. 8. He faces a pre-trial conditional stay-away order pertaining to Jackson, who said in a petition for a protective order that she believed "James will kill me."

Jackson said in the petition that she became increasingly afraid for her safety after attempting to break up with Pearce in the weeks prior to the incident because she believed he was cheating on her and because tensions rose during a January confrontation. She said Pearce offered her "up to $75,000" to visit with him and "$200,000 to remain in a relationship with him" hours before his arrest.

Police also responded to at least seven 911 calls from November to February from an unidentified girlfriend of Pearce, which stated fears that she was being stalked and harassed.

The court granted Jackson's request for protection and set a permanent injunction hearing for April 21.