American Crime Story (2016) s01e02 Episode Script
The Run of His Life
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born in adversity.
Father, please, please, please have mercy on him.
Look after him, protect him.
For he's in pain and he knows not what he's doing.
Just tell them Robert Shapiro is calling.
He'll know what it's about.
- What do you want? - Gil.
I wish I reach through this goddamn phone and strangle you.
I am so sorry he did this to us.
I mean, you know that I'm a fixer of things.
I-I-I don't tolerate this kind of stuff.
How does a murder suspect disappear from a house full of people? I didn't know that he was gonna run.
I mean, you've got to believe me, Gil.
I I mean, this is I'm the good guy here.
Look, who brought Menendez back from Israel, hmm? Who-who-who backed your campaign? Look, you even came to my 50th birthday.
You loved it, it was a great party.
Bob, find your client and deliver him.
Do you have a minute? Of course.
Drink? No, thanks.
O.
J.
left a suicide note.
It's terrible.
I don't know what we're supposed to do with it.
I mean, do we need to give it to the police? Jesus Christ.
Who the hell signs a suicide note with a happy face? one of the most stunning announcements you're ever gonna hear on live television.
O.
J.
Simpson, one of this country's best-known personalities is a suspect in a double homicide, a terribly gruesome crime, and he is at large tonight.
There is now a statewide manhunt underway for O.
J.
Simpson in California.
If it were our absolute goal, could we look more incompetent? It's the worst day of my life.
It's worse than the day I was diagnosed with cancer.
He failed to appear by 11:45 It's friggin' Shapiro.
He screwed all of us.
God forbid a celebrity should do a perp walk.
It's always the big cases that melt down.
McMartin.
Twilight Zone.
Menendez.
Why is it always the famous ones? that it would come to this, with this man who was so beloved in this country for so long.
But now He can't hide forever.
Everyone knows his face.
We received 110 tips so far.
"He's with Magic Johnson.
" "He's in Atlanta.
" "He's eating lunch with Dionne Warwick at the Ivy.
" - Christ.
- All right, look, we have to weed out the crackpots, all right? So make sure you put out the year and the plates on the white Bronco.
All right? The guy he's with-- Can anybody tell me who A.
C.
Cowlings is? He's a fourth-rate linebacker.
He's sort of a poor man's O.
J.
O.
J.
, A.
C.
, get it? Will you just quiet down? I feel like I'm gonna vomit.
Pardon me.
I want to say something to the entire community.
Mr.
Simpson is a fugitive of justice.
And if any of you assist him, in any way, you are committing a felony.
And I personally guarantee you will be prosecuted.
- Today, my office - I hope they catch him.
You know he did it.
You don't know that.
They're just tearing down another black man.
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman Want me to turn off the TVs? Tell 'em to go back to work? No, it's fine.
Let 'em watch.
Something big's happening here.
We are alleging special circumstances.
We are also alleging the murder weapon was the knife.
Mr.
Simpson must face these charges.
We will find him.
The TV on? Course I'm watching.
Picked a hell of a day to leave town.
Well, how was I supposed to know? - What is that? - Arnold Palmer's last U.
S.
Open.
He's retiring today.
Pops, come on.
Now, you can tell I'm up set.
This is a - Oh, he looks horrible.
- it's a very serious case.
Oh, my God, Marcia's dying up there.
- You know all those people? - Shh.
And I think, perhaps, that some of us might have had empathy for him.
We saw the falling of an American hero, and to some extent I viewed Mr.
Simpson the same way.
But let's remember, we have two innocent people who were brutally murdered.
But how could this happen? The entire world was focused on this one man, and he slipped away.
How can you answer that? I can't.
You think he's gonna get away? No way.
O.
J.
humiliated them.
He's dead meat.
I don't like the subtext of this one bit.
There's an unspoken villain here.
- Who, A.
C.
? - Hmm? No.
Me.
Everyone's blaming me for everything.
I have a very clean reputation.
What we need is our own press conference.
Are we good? Sound good? We're all Okay.
I must make one thing perfectly clear: I am as shocked as anybody is at this turn of events.
Over the past 25 years, on numerous occasions, I have made similar arrangements with the LAPD, with the district attorney's office, and Mr.
Garcetti.
They have always kept their word to me, and I have always kept my word to them.
In fact, I arranged the surrender of Erik Menendez from Israel.
What a prick.
Robert Shapiro's focused on his number one priority: Robert Shapiro.
What would you be saying? I wouldn't be falling back on the pronouns "me," "myself," and "I.
" People, when you take these jobs, you have only one role: you are in service to your client.
Never betray that individual.
Never.
No, he was always under a doctor's care.
In fact, we were concerned that he would take this avenue.
O.
J.
, wherever you are, for the sake of your children, for the sake of your family, please surrender immediately to any law enforcement official.
What were the last words you heard from O.
J.
? Oh.
Well, they were of a complimentary nature.
He thanked me for everything I did for him.
So now I would like to introduce Robert Kardashian, one of O.
J.
's closest and dearest friends.
He will now read a note that O.
J.
handwrote today.
Robert? Oh, my God, it's Daddy! This letter was written by O.
J.
today.
"To whom it may concern: "first, everyone understand "I had nothing to do "with Nicole's murder.
"I loved her.
At times, I felt like a battered husband" Did I hear that correctly? He feels like a battered husband? Well, you know, he cut his hand while he was killing her.
"Please think of the real O.
J.
"and not this lost person.
"Thank you for making my life special.
"I hope I helped yours.
Peace and love, O.
J.
" Who are you? Robert-Robert Kardashian.
Kazany? Rakashian? C-Can you please spell that? K-A-R-D-A-S-H-I-A-N.
Kardashian! Kardashian! Kardashian! Kardashian! Please, be respectful.
This is a very close friend of Mr.
O.
J.
Simpson's.
Robert Kardashian.
Oh, my God.
There's a white Bronco behind us right now.
You liar.
No, there isn't.
I'm serious.
Look.
Oh, my God! It's A.
C.
Cowlings! - Oh! - Hey! Hey! Hey! Over here! What are you looking at? It's him! It's freakin' him! It's O.
J.
Oh, my God! What? Holy crap! Yes, yes, it is them.
Yes, it's them.
They're going north on the 5, right before it merges with the 405.
I'm telling you, it's O.
J.
We have sighted a white Ford Bronco, north of Irvine Center Drive.
License plate Three Papa Charlie Tango Four Zero Three.
I think we got him.
Stay in your car, sir.
Sir, step out of the vehicle.
No, no, no! Hell no! Sir, you need to turn your engine off and step from the vehicle now! Do you know what's goin' on here? O.
J.
's in the backseat with a gun to his head! - Can I speak with Mr.
Simpson? - No! No, I ain't speaking to nobody! I ain't speaking to nobody! Tell him the gun's loaded, A.
C.
! Tell him! - I-I know, O.
J.
! - Tell him! O.
J.
, I will handle it, okay? I know! We don't want a situation here! We don't want anybody to get hurt - O.
J.
, O.
J - Tell him! - Tell him! Tell him! - You need to get out! That's not happening! Back off! - Do we shoot? - I'm not shooting at O.
J.
Simpson unless somebody authorizes it.
Today, my office filed murder charges against O.
J.
Simpson for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman.
Um, I have some bad news.
These are very serious crimes.
I was, um I was with O.
J.
this morning, and he, uh he was in pretty bad shape.
What do you mean? He was in a lot of pain.
He left a note.
And we have reason to believe that he's killed himself.
Oh, my God! I'm so sorry.
I'm I'm so sorry.
He wanted you to know, he wanted all of you to know he loved you he loved you very much.
He loved everybody here.
O.
J.
's in a better-better place.
He's in a better place.
No.
Wait.
Look! Look.
O.
J.
Simpson is sitting in the backseat and he has - a gun at his head and, uh - Oh, Dad.
Oh.
presumably, the officers in those four cars that are maintaining Bob, where have you been? Do you have any idea what is going on? Yeah.
I did a press conference, then I filled the gas tank.
Bob, they found him.
O.
J.
is driving up and down the freeways with a police escort.
- He's still alive? - in front of him.
However, there are a number of Highway Patrol units and sheriff's vehicles sitting on the side of the road.
And that's called a code 100, an intercept Wow.
Good for you, O.
J.
Good for you.
We're still in the game.
Hello everyone, I'm Bob Costas.
It is our professional obligation to cover the ball game tonight.
We will do that in what we hope is an appropriate fashion.
We are, of course, mindful of the O.
J.
Simpson situation, and we will apprise you of any new developments.
with doctors who've been treating Simpson Why don't we stop him? Shoot out his tires.
We don't want a shootout on live TV.
We're on every network in the country.
What's the protocol? The protocol? I don't know, Bill.
What is the protocol for an armed celebrity fugitive being chased by 12 police cars and seven helicopters? Christ.
I thought I was gonna run for mayor.
and we are told by the California Highway Patrol that O.
J.
Simpson is in that car, holding a gun to his head.
He has been in touch with a police highway dispatcher, saying he wants to be taken to his mother.
He wants to see her.
Um, but we don't know what the resolution of all of this will be.
There are nine black-and-whites All right, what do you want me to do, O.
J.
? - I should die.
- No.
Put the gun down, Juice.
I'm tired of you drivin' me around, A.
C.
! Tell me what you need! - Take me to the cemetery.
- No, man.
We did that already.
I don't know what is happening.
Why is this happening to me? I don't understand.
I had such a beautiful family.
Nicole and Sydney and Justin You still got the kids, Juice.
All right? Think about the kids.
J-Just take me home.
- I want to see Mama.
- Brother, we got half the police in California in pursuit.
They might not let us.
I want this to end! This is 911.
What is your emergency? Hey, this is A.
C.
I have O.
J.
- in the car.
- Who is this? You know who this is, goddamn it! I have O.
J.
in the car! You tell the police to back off! - He's got a gun to his head! - Hold on a moment.
Where are you? Is everything else okay? What? No! What kind of stupid-ass question is that?! Everything is terrible! You just clear the freeway! We're going to Brentwood! Stupid-ass.
Ready on chyron.
Give me ten.
They're clearing the freeway! There's nobody else driving on it! What?! You're kidding.
We've got to cut to O.
J.
Well, I can't.
It's the NBA Finals.
You do realize how much these spots are going for? Put the game in the box.
What? No! You have to.
Think clearly! O.
J.
is news, entertainment and sports! Jim, I can't.
I In 24 years, I've never done anything like this.
O.
J.
gets the big screen.
I'm calling upstairs.
Shit! Asshole.
Go.
Ready two.
And take two.
Ready uplink.
- Dude, go! - Nice! We bring you this breaking update on the O.
J.
Simpson a freeway in Los Angeles Put the game back on! of that area, and we are told by the California Highway Patrol that O.
J.
Simpson is in that car, holding a gun to his head.
He has been in touch with a police highway dispatcher, saying he wants to be taken to his mother.
He wants to see her.
Now, what we, uh, figure now is that O.
J.
Simpson is sitting in the back seat, and he has a gun at his head, and, uh, presumably the officers I can't believe this is the 405 on a Friday night.
Where are all the cars? The backup on Sepulveda must be unbelievable.
situation play out and hopefully resolve it without anyone getting hurt.
Uh, the car is, uh, again, on the 91 freeway.
This is a white Ford Bronco.
This is the one It's like the world's longest Ford Bronco commercial.
Yeah, look at this.
that said that, uh, O.
J.
Simpson was armed and dangerous.
He should be considered dangerous.
And here, in the back seat of the car with a gun to his head.
- Uh, this is heading in the - Phil, question.
- How is O.
J.
back in his white Bronco? - What do you mean? I mean, the Bronco was full of blood.
We impounded it! How can he be driving it again? Hold on a second.
Tom, how is O.
J.
back in the Bronco? Believe it or not, there are two white Broncos.
A.
C.
Cowlings worships O.
J.
so much, he bought the identical car.
Unbelievable.
What's the situation at Rockingham? SWAT's taking over.
All right.
Sausage! Aw, this is crazy, man! We ran out of cheese.
We are witnessing tonight - a modern tragedy and drama - Come on.
of Shakespearian proportion being played out live on television in Southern California.
We are told, as well, that O.
J.
is sitting in the back seat with a gun to his head.
That comes from the California Highway Patrol.
Juice? Bob.
Bob, I've been looking for you.
I called the house in Encino, and you weren't there.
I don't know if you heard what's happening.
Uh, yeah, I heard, Juice.
It's on every channel.
I I just wanted to tell you I love you, Bobby.
Bobby, you're the best.
You know I feel the same, Juice.
Remember how much fun we used to have? Wow.
Remember the night the four of us went to that steakhouse used to be on La Cienega? I forget the name.
You, me, Nicole, Kris-- we had some fun times together.
Want you to tell everybody that I love 'em.
Say good-bye for me.
Say good-bye to Don Ohlmeyer, Skip Taft, Wayne Hughes.
Louie Marx, Marcus Allen.
Cathy and Reggie.
If I'm forgetting anybody, please let 'em know.
You're gonna tell them yourself, Juice, okay? You're gonna see 'em all again.
No.
I just want to go home and see my mama one last time.
Yeah, I'm not sure coming home right now is such a hot idea.
Juice? Juice? O.
J.
? We continue to watch the white Bronco that is driven, we believe, by Allen Cowlings, a long-time friend of O.
J.
Simpson.
O.
J.
Simpson is in the car.
Jason? At one point, he said he had a gun to his head.
He's being pursued by California law enforcement Where's your grandmother? Oh.
She was having heart palpitations.
She's in the hospital.
his home in Brentwood where his mother is believed to be staying Hey, Uncle Bobby, is my dad gonna die? told an L.
A.
dispatcher he wanted to see his mother.
He has also said he could hurt himself.
Gentlemen, the last I heard, the man was still alive.
We got to stay ahead of the news.
Yes, it's a complex situation, but we must remember that he is a person not used to being arrested.
He's fragile, confused.
Whenever I see a black man being chased by armed officers, my guard goes up.
With all due respect, this is a a possible killer who fled from the police.
Innocent until proven guilty! If the LAPD is involved, we should let history be our guiding principle.
Time after time, the police shoot first, and offer sloppy apologies afterwards.
30 years ago, a young man named Leonard Deadwyler was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital.
She was about to give birth to their child.
And that very same LAPD saw a black man driving too fast, and they did what they do.
They shot and killed him.
I represented Leonard's family.
It was one of my very first cases.
Unfortunately, the first of many.
It was a terrible thing.
Leonard's only crime the color of his skin.
What? - Who is this? - This is Detective Tom Lange with the Los Angeles Police Department.
- How'd you get this number? - You called 911.
Well, you tell the cops to back off! All right? Stay away from us! A.
C.
, give me the phone.
Hey, this is O.
J.
I just wanted to say how sorry I am.
I didn't mean for you guys to all have to come out like this.
I know it's late on a Friday.
You guys work hard.
Probably want to go home and see your kids.
No, it's okay.
We're just doing our jobs.
So, uh I understand you have a gun.
Yeah, but it's not for you.
Don't worry.
I would never hurt any of you guys.
This gun's for me.
No, no, no, no, you don't want to do that.
Things will get better.
You should just toss it out the window.
No, no.
I can't do that.
I got to I got to be with Nicole.
Yeah.
That's all I'm trying to do.
I just can't do it on the freeway.
I can't do it in a field.
I tried to do it at her grave.
Now, I I'm just gonna do it at home.
O.
J.
, we want to keep you alive.
We're not gonna bother you.
We'll let you go home.
We know you want to go there.
We'll let you go there.
But the gun is is scaring everybody.
Please, can't you just throw it away? No.
I deserve to get hurt.
Go, O.
J.
! Go where? Where's he gonna go? - Anywhere but jail, baby.
- Yeah.
Yo, Chris, get over here, man.
I thought you was gonna give us a little play-by-play.
- Please.
- Ooh! Look at O.
J.
go.
That boy can still run.
Them goddamn cops ain't chasing him.
Remember his run in '67 against UCLA? Ooh! That was the best! Nobody could catch the Juice.
I don't know what you guys are cheering for.
- Jim Brown was a much better player.
- What? Chris, go in the house, boy.
O.
J.
is local! He went to Galileo High! So what? O.
J.
never gave back.
Well, you see any parks around here named for him? Any children's centers? See, now Jim Brown cared about black people.
He was an activist.
He spoke up.
Once O.
J.
made his money, he split and never came back.
- He became white.
- Aah.
Well, you got the cops chasing him.
He's black now! Orenthal James Simpson, a grieving former husband, comforting his motherless children.
A celebrity running Why does that sound like a eulogy? A movie star, and a man wanted for double murder.
I want him to finish this day alive.
I want him to pay for what he's done.
images of O.
J.
Simpson.
O.
J.
! O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Hey, why are you guys rooting for him? We're not cheering for O.
J.
We're booing the LAPD! It doesn't sound like you guys are booing.
We're doing both.
O.
J.
's running, 'cause he's innocent! He's a black man being hunted by the police.
They pick you up for anything! I'd run! Hey, look, it's O.
J.
Go get 'em, Juice! Go, Juice! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! We love you, Juice.
O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! You hear that? Those people shouldn't be on the freeway.
It's not safe.
They're out because they love you.
They still love you, Juice.
34 yards O.
J.
Simpson.
Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Where is he? We need to find him - and get him down here right now.
- Arnelle.
Where are you going? Don't leave, Arnelle.
We need everyone off the property.
- For your own safety.
- No.
I'm not leaving.
This is my home.
Yeah, I'm not leaving either.
I'm Mr.
Simpson's attorney.
Hey, who are you? Roger Sandler, Time Life photography.
We have an arrangement with the West L.
A.
division.
Your funeral.
Don't get caught in the crossfire.
Hey, O.
J.
! Come on, come on! How do they expect us to get through? Honk.
Move.
Move! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
Simpson is almost back home.
He's in that car.
We're told that he has a gun.
His mother is at his Brentwood estate, and apparently Murderer! A.
C.
, you got to get me to my house.
I'm trying, Juice.
Hey, let us in! Get me home, A.
C.
What happens when he gets to his home, we cannot say.
People are standing in the street.
Okay, Juice, we're here, brother.
Here we are.
All right, we're home, O.
J.
Dad, please! - Dad - Jason, no, man, get back! - Get back, get in the house! - Dad Dad, please! - Dad, put down the gun! - Get back! I am handling this, okay? Get in the house! - Dad, I'm gonna help! - Get in the house! I'm handling this! - Get your ass in the house! - Dad, please! Dad - Dad, I'm gonna help you.
- Back in the house.
O.
J.
, O.
J.
, put the gun down.
You're scaring me, man.
Put the gun down, Juice.
Aah! O.
J.
? - O.
J.
, how can I help you? - Leave us alone! I want to speak with Mr.
Simpson.
O.
J.
? There's a guy in the tree with a gun-- This is a trick.
No, no.
No tricks.
We want O.
J.
safe.
Man, there's guns in my face - everywhere! - Kill the lights.
I said tell the choppers, kill all the lights now.
We are sorry for the dark picture, but no light has been allowed there.
Part of the early negotiations They don't want us to see.
get the helicopters up and away and that they get the lights on even the police cars turned off, so it's been very dark If O.
J.
attempted to take his own life, to be able to get in there quickly enough O.
J.
, we want to get you out of the Bronco.
We want to get you safely into your house.
O.
J.
O.
J.
, will you open the door so that we can talk? He doesn't want to talk to you.
Go away! All right, Juice.
What do you want me to do, man? I should've killed myself this morning.
- No, I can't do it.
- Juice, no! Juice! Juice, put the gun down! Please, Juice! Juice, I'm begging you, man! - Hello? - O.
J.
, it's Bobby.
Oh, Bobby, help me, man.
Please help me, Bobby.
We're all inside here.
We love you.
Your whole family's here, Juice.
Please, just just come on inside.
Is-is Mama here? Ye Uh, yes.
She's on the phone.
She's waiting She's on the house phone waiting to talk to you, Juice.
I just just want to come inside, man.
I just just sit down and come inside.
That's a great idea.
Just come on in and we just sit down.
We just we just We just sit down and relax.
I'm sorry, man.
All these people out here like this.
All the cops, man-- you got to tell 'em I'm sorry, that I didn't mean for them to have to come out like this.
No, no, they just they just they just want you to be safe, Juice.
They they want to make sure that nothing bad happens.
Nothing bad is gonna happen.
Just just come inside.
I can't be on the TV again, man, in the handcuffs.
I can't do that, with all the Okay, what do you what do you need? Uh what do you what do you want? May Maybe come inside, maybe.
And do it You mean, do it in here? Yeah, maybe I Okay.
Okay.
That's easy.
That's easy, just give me one second, okay? Okay, Juice? He doesn't want to be arrested outside.
You got to do it inside the house, away from the cameras.
Gun's got to stay inside the vehicle.
Okay, Juice, we're good to go.
They're gonna do it inside the house, okay? You just got to make sure that the gun stays inside the car.
You can't bring the gun outside.
Do you understand me? That's-that's real important.
- Okay? - All right, man.
All right.
Okay.
Good.
Stay with me, yes? Okay, come on in, come on in.
Stay with me.
Simpson's about to exit the vehicle.
Subject will not be armed.
No hotheads.
We're on TV.
Don't fire unless you're fired upon first.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you guys.
He's got a gun! No, no! Those are pictures! Those are framed pictures of his kids! I'm sorry, guys.
Sorry.
91 clear.
8814 clear.
It's okay.
Okay, okay.
- Oh.
- All right, all right.
We got you, come on.
- I got you.
- I'm sorry, Bobby.
No, no.
No, you're home now.
You're home, Juice.
- I'm so - Here we go.
Here we go.
Can I speak to my mama? And can I get some orange juice? Of course, O.
J.
Hello, Mama.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I know, Mama.
Okay.
I know, Mama.
Okay.
I love you, too, Mama.
Right now, to wrap up this, uh, live coverage, so you can tune in to your late local news, which will have plenty about how all this unfolded.
So, for right now, Dan Rather with Connie Chung, John Blackstone and our colleagues at KCBS in Los Angeles, that's it.
We're taking him to trial.
The confirmation now that that arrest has taken place, and, in fact a convoy Too bad you're not working on this case.
What? He better not.
He got framed.
I was thinking the same thing.
Oh, come on.
I can guarantee you O.
J.
was not framed.
Sure he was.
I haven't identified that location yet.
That could prove to be a bit of a challenge You stay the hell away from this.
those narrow streets around the residence, they're now crowded with people.
There are, uh, hundreds of teenagers out there with, uh, many, uh, now shouting, uh, shouting O.
J.
's name.
Father, please, please, please have mercy on him.
Look after him, protect him.
For he's in pain and he knows not what he's doing.
Just tell them Robert Shapiro is calling.
He'll know what it's about.
- What do you want? - Gil.
I wish I reach through this goddamn phone and strangle you.
I am so sorry he did this to us.
I mean, you know that I'm a fixer of things.
I-I-I don't tolerate this kind of stuff.
How does a murder suspect disappear from a house full of people? I didn't know that he was gonna run.
I mean, you've got to believe me, Gil.
I I mean, this is I'm the good guy here.
Look, who brought Menendez back from Israel, hmm? Who-who-who backed your campaign? Look, you even came to my 50th birthday.
You loved it, it was a great party.
Bob, find your client and deliver him.
Do you have a minute? Of course.
Drink? No, thanks.
O.
J.
left a suicide note.
It's terrible.
I don't know what we're supposed to do with it.
I mean, do we need to give it to the police? Jesus Christ.
Who the hell signs a suicide note with a happy face? one of the most stunning announcements you're ever gonna hear on live television.
O.
J.
Simpson, one of this country's best-known personalities is a suspect in a double homicide, a terribly gruesome crime, and he is at large tonight.
There is now a statewide manhunt underway for O.
J.
Simpson in California.
If it were our absolute goal, could we look more incompetent? It's the worst day of my life.
It's worse than the day I was diagnosed with cancer.
He failed to appear by 11:45 It's friggin' Shapiro.
He screwed all of us.
God forbid a celebrity should do a perp walk.
It's always the big cases that melt down.
McMartin.
Twilight Zone.
Menendez.
Why is it always the famous ones? that it would come to this, with this man who was so beloved in this country for so long.
But now He can't hide forever.
Everyone knows his face.
We received 110 tips so far.
"He's with Magic Johnson.
" "He's in Atlanta.
" "He's eating lunch with Dionne Warwick at the Ivy.
" - Christ.
- All right, look, we have to weed out the crackpots, all right? So make sure you put out the year and the plates on the white Bronco.
All right? The guy he's with-- Can anybody tell me who A.
C.
Cowlings is? He's a fourth-rate linebacker.
He's sort of a poor man's O.
J.
O.
J.
, A.
C.
, get it? Will you just quiet down? I feel like I'm gonna vomit.
Pardon me.
I want to say something to the entire community.
Mr.
Simpson is a fugitive of justice.
And if any of you assist him, in any way, you are committing a felony.
And I personally guarantee you will be prosecuted.
- Today, my office - I hope they catch him.
You know he did it.
You don't know that.
They're just tearing down another black man.
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman Want me to turn off the TVs? Tell 'em to go back to work? No, it's fine.
Let 'em watch.
Something big's happening here.
We are alleging special circumstances.
We are also alleging the murder weapon was the knife.
Mr.
Simpson must face these charges.
We will find him.
The TV on? Course I'm watching.
Picked a hell of a day to leave town.
Well, how was I supposed to know? - What is that? - Arnold Palmer's last U.
S.
Open.
He's retiring today.
Pops, come on.
Now, you can tell I'm up set.
This is a - Oh, he looks horrible.
- it's a very serious case.
Oh, my God, Marcia's dying up there.
- You know all those people? - Shh.
And I think, perhaps, that some of us might have had empathy for him.
We saw the falling of an American hero, and to some extent I viewed Mr.
Simpson the same way.
But let's remember, we have two innocent people who were brutally murdered.
But how could this happen? The entire world was focused on this one man, and he slipped away.
How can you answer that? I can't.
You think he's gonna get away? No way.
O.
J.
humiliated them.
He's dead meat.
I don't like the subtext of this one bit.
There's an unspoken villain here.
- Who, A.
C.
? - Hmm? No.
Me.
Everyone's blaming me for everything.
I have a very clean reputation.
What we need is our own press conference.
Are we good? Sound good? We're all Okay.
I must make one thing perfectly clear: I am as shocked as anybody is at this turn of events.
Over the past 25 years, on numerous occasions, I have made similar arrangements with the LAPD, with the district attorney's office, and Mr.
Garcetti.
They have always kept their word to me, and I have always kept my word to them.
In fact, I arranged the surrender of Erik Menendez from Israel.
What a prick.
Robert Shapiro's focused on his number one priority: Robert Shapiro.
What would you be saying? I wouldn't be falling back on the pronouns "me," "myself," and "I.
" People, when you take these jobs, you have only one role: you are in service to your client.
Never betray that individual.
Never.
No, he was always under a doctor's care.
In fact, we were concerned that he would take this avenue.
O.
J.
, wherever you are, for the sake of your children, for the sake of your family, please surrender immediately to any law enforcement official.
What were the last words you heard from O.
J.
? Oh.
Well, they were of a complimentary nature.
He thanked me for everything I did for him.
So now I would like to introduce Robert Kardashian, one of O.
J.
's closest and dearest friends.
He will now read a note that O.
J.
handwrote today.
Robert? Oh, my God, it's Daddy! This letter was written by O.
J.
today.
"To whom it may concern: "first, everyone understand "I had nothing to do "with Nicole's murder.
"I loved her.
At times, I felt like a battered husband" Did I hear that correctly? He feels like a battered husband? Well, you know, he cut his hand while he was killing her.
"Please think of the real O.
J.
"and not this lost person.
"Thank you for making my life special.
"I hope I helped yours.
Peace and love, O.
J.
" Who are you? Robert-Robert Kardashian.
Kazany? Rakashian? C-Can you please spell that? K-A-R-D-A-S-H-I-A-N.
Kardashian! Kardashian! Kardashian! Kardashian! Please, be respectful.
This is a very close friend of Mr.
O.
J.
Simpson's.
Robert Kardashian.
Oh, my God.
There's a white Bronco behind us right now.
You liar.
No, there isn't.
I'm serious.
Look.
Oh, my God! It's A.
C.
Cowlings! - Oh! - Hey! Hey! Hey! Over here! What are you looking at? It's him! It's freakin' him! It's O.
J.
Oh, my God! What? Holy crap! Yes, yes, it is them.
Yes, it's them.
They're going north on the 5, right before it merges with the 405.
I'm telling you, it's O.
J.
We have sighted a white Ford Bronco, north of Irvine Center Drive.
License plate Three Papa Charlie Tango Four Zero Three.
I think we got him.
Stay in your car, sir.
Sir, step out of the vehicle.
No, no, no! Hell no! Sir, you need to turn your engine off and step from the vehicle now! Do you know what's goin' on here? O.
J.
's in the backseat with a gun to his head! - Can I speak with Mr.
Simpson? - No! No, I ain't speaking to nobody! I ain't speaking to nobody! Tell him the gun's loaded, A.
C.
! Tell him! - I-I know, O.
J.
! - Tell him! O.
J.
, I will handle it, okay? I know! We don't want a situation here! We don't want anybody to get hurt - O.
J.
, O.
J - Tell him! - Tell him! Tell him! - You need to get out! That's not happening! Back off! - Do we shoot? - I'm not shooting at O.
J.
Simpson unless somebody authorizes it.
Today, my office filed murder charges against O.
J.
Simpson for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman.
Um, I have some bad news.
These are very serious crimes.
I was, um I was with O.
J.
this morning, and he, uh he was in pretty bad shape.
What do you mean? He was in a lot of pain.
He left a note.
And we have reason to believe that he's killed himself.
Oh, my God! I'm so sorry.
I'm I'm so sorry.
He wanted you to know, he wanted all of you to know he loved you he loved you very much.
He loved everybody here.
O.
J.
's in a better-better place.
He's in a better place.
No.
Wait.
Look! Look.
O.
J.
Simpson is sitting in the backseat and he has - a gun at his head and, uh - Oh, Dad.
Oh.
presumably, the officers in those four cars that are maintaining Bob, where have you been? Do you have any idea what is going on? Yeah.
I did a press conference, then I filled the gas tank.
Bob, they found him.
O.
J.
is driving up and down the freeways with a police escort.
- He's still alive? - in front of him.
However, there are a number of Highway Patrol units and sheriff's vehicles sitting on the side of the road.
And that's called a code 100, an intercept Wow.
Good for you, O.
J.
Good for you.
We're still in the game.
Hello everyone, I'm Bob Costas.
It is our professional obligation to cover the ball game tonight.
We will do that in what we hope is an appropriate fashion.
We are, of course, mindful of the O.
J.
Simpson situation, and we will apprise you of any new developments.
with doctors who've been treating Simpson Why don't we stop him? Shoot out his tires.
We don't want a shootout on live TV.
We're on every network in the country.
What's the protocol? The protocol? I don't know, Bill.
What is the protocol for an armed celebrity fugitive being chased by 12 police cars and seven helicopters? Christ.
I thought I was gonna run for mayor.
and we are told by the California Highway Patrol that O.
J.
Simpson is in that car, holding a gun to his head.
He has been in touch with a police highway dispatcher, saying he wants to be taken to his mother.
He wants to see her.
Um, but we don't know what the resolution of all of this will be.
There are nine black-and-whites All right, what do you want me to do, O.
J.
? - I should die.
- No.
Put the gun down, Juice.
I'm tired of you drivin' me around, A.
C.
! Tell me what you need! - Take me to the cemetery.
- No, man.
We did that already.
I don't know what is happening.
Why is this happening to me? I don't understand.
I had such a beautiful family.
Nicole and Sydney and Justin You still got the kids, Juice.
All right? Think about the kids.
J-Just take me home.
- I want to see Mama.
- Brother, we got half the police in California in pursuit.
They might not let us.
I want this to end! This is 911.
What is your emergency? Hey, this is A.
C.
I have O.
J.
- in the car.
- Who is this? You know who this is, goddamn it! I have O.
J.
in the car! You tell the police to back off! - He's got a gun to his head! - Hold on a moment.
Where are you? Is everything else okay? What? No! What kind of stupid-ass question is that?! Everything is terrible! You just clear the freeway! We're going to Brentwood! Stupid-ass.
Ready on chyron.
Give me ten.
They're clearing the freeway! There's nobody else driving on it! What?! You're kidding.
We've got to cut to O.
J.
Well, I can't.
It's the NBA Finals.
You do realize how much these spots are going for? Put the game in the box.
What? No! You have to.
Think clearly! O.
J.
is news, entertainment and sports! Jim, I can't.
I In 24 years, I've never done anything like this.
O.
J.
gets the big screen.
I'm calling upstairs.
Shit! Asshole.
Go.
Ready two.
And take two.
Ready uplink.
- Dude, go! - Nice! We bring you this breaking update on the O.
J.
Simpson a freeway in Los Angeles Put the game back on! of that area, and we are told by the California Highway Patrol that O.
J.
Simpson is in that car, holding a gun to his head.
He has been in touch with a police highway dispatcher, saying he wants to be taken to his mother.
He wants to see her.
Now, what we, uh, figure now is that O.
J.
Simpson is sitting in the back seat, and he has a gun at his head, and, uh, presumably the officers I can't believe this is the 405 on a Friday night.
Where are all the cars? The backup on Sepulveda must be unbelievable.
situation play out and hopefully resolve it without anyone getting hurt.
Uh, the car is, uh, again, on the 91 freeway.
This is a white Ford Bronco.
This is the one It's like the world's longest Ford Bronco commercial.
Yeah, look at this.
that said that, uh, O.
J.
Simpson was armed and dangerous.
He should be considered dangerous.
And here, in the back seat of the car with a gun to his head.
- Uh, this is heading in the - Phil, question.
- How is O.
J.
back in his white Bronco? - What do you mean? I mean, the Bronco was full of blood.
We impounded it! How can he be driving it again? Hold on a second.
Tom, how is O.
J.
back in the Bronco? Believe it or not, there are two white Broncos.
A.
C.
Cowlings worships O.
J.
so much, he bought the identical car.
Unbelievable.
What's the situation at Rockingham? SWAT's taking over.
All right.
Sausage! Aw, this is crazy, man! We ran out of cheese.
We are witnessing tonight - a modern tragedy and drama - Come on.
of Shakespearian proportion being played out live on television in Southern California.
We are told, as well, that O.
J.
is sitting in the back seat with a gun to his head.
That comes from the California Highway Patrol.
Juice? Bob.
Bob, I've been looking for you.
I called the house in Encino, and you weren't there.
I don't know if you heard what's happening.
Uh, yeah, I heard, Juice.
It's on every channel.
I I just wanted to tell you I love you, Bobby.
Bobby, you're the best.
You know I feel the same, Juice.
Remember how much fun we used to have? Wow.
Remember the night the four of us went to that steakhouse used to be on La Cienega? I forget the name.
You, me, Nicole, Kris-- we had some fun times together.
Want you to tell everybody that I love 'em.
Say good-bye for me.
Say good-bye to Don Ohlmeyer, Skip Taft, Wayne Hughes.
Louie Marx, Marcus Allen.
Cathy and Reggie.
If I'm forgetting anybody, please let 'em know.
You're gonna tell them yourself, Juice, okay? You're gonna see 'em all again.
No.
I just want to go home and see my mama one last time.
Yeah, I'm not sure coming home right now is such a hot idea.
Juice? Juice? O.
J.
? We continue to watch the white Bronco that is driven, we believe, by Allen Cowlings, a long-time friend of O.
J.
Simpson.
O.
J.
Simpson is in the car.
Jason? At one point, he said he had a gun to his head.
He's being pursued by California law enforcement Where's your grandmother? Oh.
She was having heart palpitations.
She's in the hospital.
his home in Brentwood where his mother is believed to be staying Hey, Uncle Bobby, is my dad gonna die? told an L.
A.
dispatcher he wanted to see his mother.
He has also said he could hurt himself.
Gentlemen, the last I heard, the man was still alive.
We got to stay ahead of the news.
Yes, it's a complex situation, but we must remember that he is a person not used to being arrested.
He's fragile, confused.
Whenever I see a black man being chased by armed officers, my guard goes up.
With all due respect, this is a a possible killer who fled from the police.
Innocent until proven guilty! If the LAPD is involved, we should let history be our guiding principle.
Time after time, the police shoot first, and offer sloppy apologies afterwards.
30 years ago, a young man named Leonard Deadwyler was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital.
She was about to give birth to their child.
And that very same LAPD saw a black man driving too fast, and they did what they do.
They shot and killed him.
I represented Leonard's family.
It was one of my very first cases.
Unfortunately, the first of many.
It was a terrible thing.
Leonard's only crime the color of his skin.
What? - Who is this? - This is Detective Tom Lange with the Los Angeles Police Department.
- How'd you get this number? - You called 911.
Well, you tell the cops to back off! All right? Stay away from us! A.
C.
, give me the phone.
Hey, this is O.
J.
I just wanted to say how sorry I am.
I didn't mean for you guys to all have to come out like this.
I know it's late on a Friday.
You guys work hard.
Probably want to go home and see your kids.
No, it's okay.
We're just doing our jobs.
So, uh I understand you have a gun.
Yeah, but it's not for you.
Don't worry.
I would never hurt any of you guys.
This gun's for me.
No, no, no, no, you don't want to do that.
Things will get better.
You should just toss it out the window.
No, no.
I can't do that.
I got to I got to be with Nicole.
Yeah.
That's all I'm trying to do.
I just can't do it on the freeway.
I can't do it in a field.
I tried to do it at her grave.
Now, I I'm just gonna do it at home.
O.
J.
, we want to keep you alive.
We're not gonna bother you.
We'll let you go home.
We know you want to go there.
We'll let you go there.
But the gun is is scaring everybody.
Please, can't you just throw it away? No.
I deserve to get hurt.
Go, O.
J.
! Go where? Where's he gonna go? - Anywhere but jail, baby.
- Yeah.
Yo, Chris, get over here, man.
I thought you was gonna give us a little play-by-play.
- Please.
- Ooh! Look at O.
J.
go.
That boy can still run.
Them goddamn cops ain't chasing him.
Remember his run in '67 against UCLA? Ooh! That was the best! Nobody could catch the Juice.
I don't know what you guys are cheering for.
- Jim Brown was a much better player.
- What? Chris, go in the house, boy.
O.
J.
is local! He went to Galileo High! So what? O.
J.
never gave back.
Well, you see any parks around here named for him? Any children's centers? See, now Jim Brown cared about black people.
He was an activist.
He spoke up.
Once O.
J.
made his money, he split and never came back.
- He became white.
- Aah.
Well, you got the cops chasing him.
He's black now! Orenthal James Simpson, a grieving former husband, comforting his motherless children.
A celebrity running Why does that sound like a eulogy? A movie star, and a man wanted for double murder.
I want him to finish this day alive.
I want him to pay for what he's done.
images of O.
J.
Simpson.
O.
J.
! O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Hey, why are you guys rooting for him? We're not cheering for O.
J.
We're booing the LAPD! It doesn't sound like you guys are booing.
We're doing both.
O.
J.
's running, 'cause he's innocent! He's a black man being hunted by the police.
They pick you up for anything! I'd run! Hey, look, it's O.
J.
Go get 'em, Juice! Go, Juice! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! We love you, Juice.
O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! You hear that? Those people shouldn't be on the freeway.
It's not safe.
They're out because they love you.
They still love you, Juice.
34 yards O.
J.
Simpson.
Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Go, O.
J.
! Where is he? We need to find him - and get him down here right now.
- Arnelle.
Where are you going? Don't leave, Arnelle.
We need everyone off the property.
- For your own safety.
- No.
I'm not leaving.
This is my home.
Yeah, I'm not leaving either.
I'm Mr.
Simpson's attorney.
Hey, who are you? Roger Sandler, Time Life photography.
We have an arrangement with the West L.
A.
division.
Your funeral.
Don't get caught in the crossfire.
Hey, O.
J.
! Come on, come on! How do they expect us to get through? Honk.
Move.
Move! O.
J.
! O.
J.
! O.
J.
Simpson is almost back home.
He's in that car.
We're told that he has a gun.
His mother is at his Brentwood estate, and apparently Murderer! A.
C.
, you got to get me to my house.
I'm trying, Juice.
Hey, let us in! Get me home, A.
C.
What happens when he gets to his home, we cannot say.
People are standing in the street.
Okay, Juice, we're here, brother.
Here we are.
All right, we're home, O.
J.
Dad, please! - Dad - Jason, no, man, get back! - Get back, get in the house! - Dad Dad, please! - Dad, put down the gun! - Get back! I am handling this, okay? Get in the house! - Dad, I'm gonna help! - Get in the house! I'm handling this! - Get your ass in the house! - Dad, please! Dad - Dad, I'm gonna help you.
- Back in the house.
O.
J.
, O.
J.
, put the gun down.
You're scaring me, man.
Put the gun down, Juice.
Aah! O.
J.
? - O.
J.
, how can I help you? - Leave us alone! I want to speak with Mr.
Simpson.
O.
J.
? There's a guy in the tree with a gun-- This is a trick.
No, no.
No tricks.
We want O.
J.
safe.
Man, there's guns in my face - everywhere! - Kill the lights.
I said tell the choppers, kill all the lights now.
We are sorry for the dark picture, but no light has been allowed there.
Part of the early negotiations They don't want us to see.
get the helicopters up and away and that they get the lights on even the police cars turned off, so it's been very dark If O.
J.
attempted to take his own life, to be able to get in there quickly enough O.
J.
, we want to get you out of the Bronco.
We want to get you safely into your house.
O.
J.
O.
J.
, will you open the door so that we can talk? He doesn't want to talk to you.
Go away! All right, Juice.
What do you want me to do, man? I should've killed myself this morning.
- No, I can't do it.
- Juice, no! Juice! Juice, put the gun down! Please, Juice! Juice, I'm begging you, man! - Hello? - O.
J.
, it's Bobby.
Oh, Bobby, help me, man.
Please help me, Bobby.
We're all inside here.
We love you.
Your whole family's here, Juice.
Please, just just come on inside.
Is-is Mama here? Ye Uh, yes.
She's on the phone.
She's waiting She's on the house phone waiting to talk to you, Juice.
I just just want to come inside, man.
I just just sit down and come inside.
That's a great idea.
Just come on in and we just sit down.
We just we just We just sit down and relax.
I'm sorry, man.
All these people out here like this.
All the cops, man-- you got to tell 'em I'm sorry, that I didn't mean for them to have to come out like this.
No, no, they just they just they just want you to be safe, Juice.
They they want to make sure that nothing bad happens.
Nothing bad is gonna happen.
Just just come inside.
I can't be on the TV again, man, in the handcuffs.
I can't do that, with all the Okay, what do you what do you need? Uh what do you what do you want? May Maybe come inside, maybe.
And do it You mean, do it in here? Yeah, maybe I Okay.
Okay.
That's easy.
That's easy, just give me one second, okay? Okay, Juice? He doesn't want to be arrested outside.
You got to do it inside the house, away from the cameras.
Gun's got to stay inside the vehicle.
Okay, Juice, we're good to go.
They're gonna do it inside the house, okay? You just got to make sure that the gun stays inside the car.
You can't bring the gun outside.
Do you understand me? That's-that's real important.
- Okay? - All right, man.
All right.
Okay.
Good.
Stay with me, yes? Okay, come on in, come on in.
Stay with me.
Simpson's about to exit the vehicle.
Subject will not be armed.
No hotheads.
We're on TV.
Don't fire unless you're fired upon first.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you guys.
He's got a gun! No, no! Those are pictures! Those are framed pictures of his kids! I'm sorry, guys.
Sorry.
91 clear.
8814 clear.
It's okay.
Okay, okay.
- Oh.
- All right, all right.
We got you, come on.
- I got you.
- I'm sorry, Bobby.
No, no.
No, you're home now.
You're home, Juice.
- I'm so - Here we go.
Here we go.
Can I speak to my mama? And can I get some orange juice? Of course, O.
J.
Hello, Mama.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I know, Mama.
Okay.
I know, Mama.
Okay.
I love you, too, Mama.
Right now, to wrap up this, uh, live coverage, so you can tune in to your late local news, which will have plenty about how all this unfolded.
So, for right now, Dan Rather with Connie Chung, John Blackstone and our colleagues at KCBS in Los Angeles, that's it.
We're taking him to trial.
The confirmation now that that arrest has taken place, and, in fact a convoy Too bad you're not working on this case.
What? He better not.
He got framed.
I was thinking the same thing.
Oh, come on.
I can guarantee you O.
J.
was not framed.
Sure he was.
I haven't identified that location yet.
That could prove to be a bit of a challenge You stay the hell away from this.
those narrow streets around the residence, they're now crowded with people.
There are, uh, hundreds of teenagers out there with, uh, many, uh, now shouting, uh, shouting O.
J.
's name.