O.J. Simpson Bronco Chase: 95 Million Viewers, One Infamous Freeway Pursuit
On June 17, 1994, O.J. Simpson led Los Angeles police on a 90-minute low-speed chase watched by 95 million Americans. He was acquitted of murder 16 months later.
The Night 95 Million Americans Watched a White Bronco
On June 17, 1994, livenowfox.com reports, O.J. Simpson led Los Angeles police on a 90-minute low-speed pursuit that became one of the most-watched live television events in U.S. history. The chase unfolded just five days after the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
Simpson — full name Orenthal James Simpson — had been ordered to surrender to the Los Angeles Police Department by 11 a.m. that Friday. He failed to appear. Law enforcement then contacted his attorney, Robert Shapiro, who provided police with the address of the home where Simpson had been staying.
When officers arrived, Simpson was gone. He had left with his former college and NFL teammate Al Cowlings, who took the wheel of the now-infamous white Ford Bronco. The LAPD formally declared Simpson a fugitive at a news conference shortly after.
A 911 Call Puts Police on His Trail
Hours later, Simpson called 911 from a cell phone inside the Bronco. The call allowed police to pinpoint his location on the 5 Freeway in Orange County — one day after Nicole Brown Simpson had been buried there. By 6 p.m. Pacific Time, the pursuit was officially underway.
Cowlings drove at low speed through Southern California freeways as police vehicles followed and news helicopters circled overhead. KTTV archived footage from the chase captures the surreal atmosphere from the air.
An estimated 95 million people across the United States tuned in to watch the scene unfold live on television. The viewership had a measurable commercial effect: Domino's Pizza recorded its busiest single day in company history, as customers ordered rather than leave their screens to prepare dinner.
The Murders That Preceded the Chase
Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman had been found stabbed to death on the morning of June 12, 1994, outside Nicole's condominium in Brentwood, a neighborhood in West Los Angeles. A passerby discovered Nicole's body near a gate to the building; police found Goldman's body in nearby shrubbery.
The killings set off one of the most heavily covered criminal investigations in American history, with Simpson emerging as the primary suspect within days.
Standoff, Surrender, and Suicide Watch
The chase ended at Simpson's home in the affluent Brentwood neighborhood. A lengthy standoff followed before Simpson surrendered to police — not before requesting to speak with his mother by phone and drinking a glass of juice. He was taken to the Los Angeles County Jail and placed on suicide watch.
Simpson made his first court appearance when he was arraigned on June 28, 1994. He stated he was "absolutely 100% not guilty" of the murders of Nicole and Goldman.
The Dream Team and the Acquittal
Simpson assembled a defense team that journalists and legal observers quickly labeled the "Dream Team Lawyers": Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran Jr., F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, Carl Douglas, Peter Neufeld, Barry Scheck, and Gerald Ulemen.
After a nine-month trial, Simpson was acquitted on October 3, 1995.
Simpson died at age 76, according to a statement from his family. New details have since surfaced, according to livenowfox.com, suggesting a mobster may have played a role in assisting Simpson in the hours before and during the chase — though those claims remain under scrutiny.
Source: NYT US News