The Crime Book

249

By 2pm, the Los Angeles Police

Department had issued an all-

points bulletin for Simpson’s arrest.

Early that evening, the Bronco was

spotted. One officer approached the

car but, because Simpson had a

gun to his head, decided to back

off. This ignited a low-speed chase,

with up to 20 police cars and nine

helicopters following the car.

Thousands of spectators packed

the overpasses to cheer on the

white Bronco, some holding

homemade signs urging Simpson

to keep running. Television stations

interrupted regularly scheduled

programming, and the chase was

seen by some 95 million viewers.

After 80 km (50 miles) on the

freeway, the chase ended at 8pm

at Simpson’s Brentwood estate. In

exchange for a peaceful surrender,

Simpson was allowed an hour in

the house to speak to his mother.

Meanwhile, officers searched the

Bronco and found $8,000 (£7,000)

in cash, clothes, and a disguise –

a fake goatee, moustache, and

make-up kit – as well as family

photos and a loaded handgun.

Courtroom personnel

Simpson was arraigned on 20 June,

and pleaded not guilty to both

murders. He was ordered to be held

See also: Dr Crippen 216 ■ The Manson Family 230–37 ■ The Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls 254–57

MURDER CASES

O.J. Simpson Born Orenthal James Simpson,

O.J. Simpson grew up poor in the

housing projects outside San

Francisco, California. Simpson

discovered a passion for football

and won a football scholarship

to the University of Southern

California. In 1968, he won the

prestigious Heisman Trophy.

After college, Simpson was

drafted to the NFL and played 11

seasons with the Buffalo Bills and

San Francisco 49ers. In 1973 he

became the first player to rush

1,800 metres (2,000 yards) in a

season, and was later inducted

into the Football Hall of Fame.

After he retired from the NFL,

Simpson began a career as a

football broadcaster and actor,

and appeared in several movies

including The Towering Inferno,

Capricorn One, and The Naked

Gun trilogy.

Simpson met 18-year-old

waitress Nicole Brown in 1977,

and the two were married in

1985. They had two children:
      Sydney and Justin. After a
      tumultuous marriage rife with
      claims of spousal abuse, Nicole
      filed for divorce on 25 February


1986. Two years later, Simpson
      was accused of her murder.

without bail. In a controversial

decision, the prosecutors chose

to file charges in downtown LA,

which would result in a jury pool

with a majority of people of colour.

Veteran LAPD detective Tom

Lange led the murder investigation.

Prosecutor Marcia Clark, a Deputy

District Attorney, was designated

lead prosecutor; acting as

co-counsel was Deputy District ❯❯

The white Ford Bronco is chased

at a slow speed along an LA freeway

in the gathering dusk. The televised

chase was a cultural phenomenon, and

raised interest in the Simpson case.

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