American Crime Story (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - The Run of His Life - full transcript
O.J. Simpson's lawyers must handle an intense situation when he goes missing.
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.
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.