EXACTLY 30 years ago, more than 95 million Americans were glued to their televisions as football star OJ Simpson led the Los Angeles Police Department on a car chase.
More than 20 police vehicles followed the retired NFL player through Los Angeles, California, while fleeing in his iconic White Ford Bronco.
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In 1994, police raided the vehicle carrying OJ when he was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
DOUBLE MURDER
Just two days earlier, the pair were found stabbed to death outside Nicole’s condominium in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Both were found with multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and body.
Among the evidence discovered was a single bloody black glove.
Investigators also found blood spatter on a white Ford Bronco parked in OJ’s garage when they went to inform him about his ex-wife’s murder.
After a second black glove was found on OJ’s property, police ordered the former San Francisco 49ers player to turn himself in.
However, OJ refused and fled in a second Bronco, driven by his friend Al Cowlings.
LOW SPEED PURSUIT
Police asked OJ to surrender at 11 a.m. on June 17, 1994.
When he failed to do so, the Los Angeles Police Department declared him a fugitive during a press conference at 2:00 pm the same day.
Soon after, one of the most iconic television broadcasts in American history began.
The low-speed chase spanned 60 miles of highways and city streets as police tried to calm the situation.
The chase was broadcast on all major media outlets in the county, attracting approximately 95 million viewers.
“I COULDN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF”
Many still remember to this day where they were during the iconic two-hour chase.
You have to see the chase happening in the middle of the game
Kenny Smith
Former NBA player Vernon Maxwell said Queen City News that he was playing at Madison Square Garden during the chase.
“That was a crazy moment, man,” he said.
“I was in the game playing. The guys on the bench were talking about it.”
OJ Simpson trial timeline
A look at why The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson is considered the murder trial of the century.
On June 12, 1994, OJ Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and her friend Ronald Goldman, 25, were stabbed to death outside their Los Angeles condominium.
Their bodies were found two days later.
On June 17, Simpson was charged with their murders and arrested following a live-streamed car chase.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on July 22.
On November 3, an initial jury of twelve people was selected.
They would be kidnapped for 265 days throughout the process.
Simpson wanted a speedy trial and his team worked tirelessly on his defense before opening statements began on January 24.
Prosecutors painted Simpson as a savage killer who attacked his wife in a murderous rage because he could not control her.
They said a bloody glove was recovered at the crime scene and that blood spatter was seen on Simpson’s white Ford Bronco.
Meanwhile, the defense accused Mark Fuhrman, a Los Angeles Police Department detective working on the case, of racism.
They alleged that Fuhrman used racist language to describe black people and attempted to portray him as an illegitimate witness.
Three days after the opening statements, Simpson released his tell-all book, I Want to Tell You, where he spoke about the deaths and accusations.
On February 3, Nicole’s sister, Denise Brown, testified that Simpson was abusive, claiming he called Nicole a “fat pig” when she was pregnant.
On June 15, Simpson tried on bloody gloves found at the crime scene and demonstrated that they did not appear to fit in a dramatic courtroom scene.
On October 3, the jury found Simpson not guilty of two counts of murder.
In 1997, Simpson was found responsible for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman in a civil lawsuit filed by the victims’ families.
His teammate Kenny Smith told the outlet that there were televisions on the sides of the court, allowing players to watch.
“You saw the chase going on in the middle of the game,” Smith said.
Zoey Tur, a helicopter journalist who broadcast the chase for KCBS-TV at the time, said Yahoo Entertainment that spectators on the ground and at home would be alert to the chase.
“People…didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Tur said.
It was almost like a carnival atmosphere, which was completely shocking because…two people were killed, cruelly and brutally massacred.
Zoey Tur
“They couldn’t take their eyes off it.”
As millions of people watched the chase across the country, many Los Angeles residents got a front-row seat.
Journalists recalled seeing cars lined up on the highway and overpasses, with some drivers holding signs and cheering as the Bronco passed by with police cars in pursuit.
“People have parked on the other side of the highway in the emergency lane and are sitting on the barrier in the middle of the 405 freeway,” said Jane Wells, a former Fox 11 LA reporter. Yahoo Entertainment.
“If you don’t know what the 405 highway is, that’s suicide. They are [holding] signs: ‘Run, OJ, run.’
“It was almost like a carnival atmosphere, which was completely shocking because… two people were killed, cruelly and brutally massacred,” Tur recalled.
HOW IT ENDS
Just before the end of the chase, OJ and Cowlings received a call from John McKay, who coached OJ at the University of South Carolina.
The conference call was coordinated by ESPN anchor Charley Steiner, who wanted to air the conference call, according to Atlético.
However, OJ only agreed to call if the conversation was kept off air.
Steiner recalled that the conversation lasted two minutes and was “very intense”.
Inside the infamous police chase of OJ Simpson
On June 17, 1994, OJ Simpson led Los Angeles police on a slow, 90-minute chase through Southern California. Simpson was in the back of his Ford Bronco, which was driven by his friend and former Bills teammate AC Cowlings, with a gun in his hands, threatening to commit suicide.
Two days earlier, his wife Nicole Brown, 35, and her friend Ron Goldman, 25, were found brutally stabbed to death outside their Los Angeles condominium.
After collecting evidence from the scene, including bloody gloves from the crime, police pressed charges against Simpson, and he was scheduled to turn himself in at 11 a.m. on June 17.
However, he did not appear at the police station and authorities began looking for him.
Simpson’s defense attorney, Ben Shapiro, gave detectives the address where he was hiding, but responding officers discovered he had fled.
The former NFL star was declared a fugitive and a massive search was launched for him and his friend Al Cowlings, with whom he fled.
Hours after the search began, Simpson called 911 from his cellphone while driving his white Ford Bronco, allowing police to track his location.
At approximately 6:00 p.m. local time, the low-speed chase began and continued along I-5 in Orange County, California.
The chase was broadcast live by news outlets and horrified viewers across the country were glued to their television screens to see what would happen next.
Domino’s Pizza had its best day yet as families were too busy watching to prepare any dinner.
At around 9pm the same day, Simpson led police to his Brentwood property.
After a tense standoff, he surrendered and was taken to the Los Angeles County Jail.
“Both OJ and John McKay were crying,” Steiner said.
“McKay said, ‘OJ, I love you, buddy. I will take care of you and stay with you until the end. Please, do not do that. And then there was a long pause. And finally OJ said, ‘OK, coach, I’m not going to do anything stupid. I promise.'”
Shortly thereafter, the Bronco began driving toward OJ’s house in Brentwood.
Upon arrival, police allowed OJ to call his mother before he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
THE JUDGEMENT
OJ continued to dominate the media cycle with his double murder trial that began in January 1995.
Like the car chase, the trial was broadcast across the country and ended up being dubbed the “trial of the century”.
Although the prosecution had an overwhelming amount of evidence, including bloodstained gloves, shoe prints, strands of hair and shirt fibers, it was not enough to convict.
A key moment during the trial was when OJ, who did not testify, was asked to try on the gloves.
He struggled to put them on as they seemed to be too small.
Ultimately, the jury acquitted OJ of all charges after deliberating for three hours.
He spent more than 470 days in prison.
LATER DIFFICULTIES
OJ’s troubles didn’t stop there, as the former football star was arrested in 2008 in connection with an armed robbery in Las Vegas.
He and Clarence Stewart were accused of stealing sports memorabilia from a drug dealer.
At the time, OJ claimed the memorabilia was stolen from him first.
The latest sighting of OJ Simpson
OJ Simpson looked frail and unrecognizable when he was photographed before his death.
Simpson died of prostate cancer on April 10, according to his family.
His diagnosis came to light in February, but he said at the time that he was still in good health.
However, on January 22, 2024, Simpson looked worn out while walking in Las Vegas.
The controversial NFL star was seen walking with a cane while wearing a cap and tracksuit.
Although Simpson was said to be under hospice care, he stated that he was in good health in February.
He was ultimately convicted of 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping and was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
In 2017, he was granted parole.
OJ passed away after a battle with cancer on April 11, 2024.
He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in February.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
