This Iconic Police Chase Happened 30 Years Ago Today

It may be hard to believe but today is the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic police chases to ever happen live on television.

Do you remember where you were when former Buffalo Bills running back OJ Simpson led police on a chase through the streets of LA in a white Ford Bronco?

Why did the police chase OJ?

To just about every fan of professional football, but especially to Buffalo Bills fans, OJ Simpson was still remembered as one of the greatest running backs of all time.  He was a huge star, not only at USC when he played college there, but also during his time with the Buffalo Bills.

However, just a few days earlier, the body of his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson had been found as well as her friend Ron Goldman.

OJ became the main suspect in their murders.

Because of his celebrity status, they had no reason to believe that he would run.  An agreement was made with OJ and his lawyers that he would turn himself in.  However, on June 17th, 1994, a couple of hours after he was supposed to be at the police station, the police made an announcement that they were actively searching for Simpson.  Instead of waiting for him to come to the station, the police went to him.  That's when they discovered that OJ and his friend Al Cowlings were not at the house where he was staying.  OJ was running.  The hunt was on.

How did they find him?

OJ was the passenger in a white Ford Bronco that was owned and was being driven by his friend and former teammate Al Cowlings.  While driving, they heard on just about every radio station that there was an active manhunt for Simpson so he decided to call the police himself.  Immediately they trace the call and find the two of them driving.  News stations (who were already aware that OJ was going to turn himself in that day and were following the story) were listening to police scanners.  Once the police found him, news choppers took to the air to carry it live.

The chase was on

Although they didn't stop when the police were behind them, they weren't going fast.  Cowlings was only driving around 30 miles an hour throughout most of it.

A lot of people asked, "If they aren't driving fast, why didn't they just pull them over?" and the answer is that they were concerned that OJ might have hurt himself.  Al Cowlings had asked the police to back off because Simpson had a gun pointed at himself.

It was 90 minutes before they finally drove back to OJ's house.  Simpson finally agreed to surrender but only on his own terms.  He wanted to go to his house, drink a glass of orange juice, and call his mother.

The rest is history.  The OJ Simpson trial that followed was one of the most watched and talked about trial in American history.

Simpson passed away this year due to complications from cancer.