Al Cowlings

Release time：2024-05-07 17:14:59 Source：Culture Capsule news portal

The owner of the Ford Bronco that led LA cops on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase with O.J. Simpson in the back has been spotted following the NFL star's death.

Simpson, whose death was announced today following a battle with cancer, was wanted decades ago by the LAPD in connection with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. 

Two days after the fatal stabbings on June 12, 1994, O.J. led the police on a 90-minute-long low-speed car pursuit in his friend Al Cowlings white Ford Bronco. 

The former NFL star huddled in the back seat with a gun to the head of Cowlings while police, media and fans followed after him. 

On Thursday, Cowlings, 76, was spotted in Malibu following the death of Simpson and appeared downcast with a tissue in his hand. 

Cowlings was also seen getting behind the wheel of a Ford truck, just like he had done in 1994.

Cowlings is pictured for the first time after the death of OJ Simpson in Malibu, California

Two days after the fatal stabbings on June 12, 1994, O.J. led the police on a 90-minute-long low-speed car pursuit in Cowlings' white Ford Bronco

Cowlings, who was a childhood friend of Simpson, was originally arrested alongside the NFL star following the police chase

Cowlings was also seen getting behind the wheel of a light colored Ford truck, similar to the one he famously drove in 1994

Simpson huddled in the back seat of the Bronco with a gun to the head of Cowlings while the police, media and fans followed after him

In this June 17, 1994, file photo, a white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings carrying O.J. Simpson, is trailed by Los Angeles police cars as it travels on a freeway in Los Angeles 

Commuters gave up on their journeys to cheer Simpson on - and some even made signs that said 'Go O.J!'

Cowlings, who was a childhood friend of Simpson, was originally arrested alongside the NFL star following the chase which ended at Simpson's Brentwood home. 

After Simpson was acquitted of the murder of Brown and Goldman, Cowlings was subpoenaed in a civil suit brought against Simpson for wrongful death. 

Reports at the time said that Cowlings told the court that he had taken Brown to the hospital after a fight with Simpson in 1989. 

His testimony and demeanor during the case contradicted that of Simpson, who was cheerful while Cowlings broke down in tears after seeing pictures of Brown. 

During their infamous police chase, traffic came to a standstill all the way from Disneyland to Los Angeles.

West Hollywood's Sunset Strip was deserted as residents scrambled to their TV's to watch the chase.

Patrol officers spotted O.J. on the 5 Freeway in Orange County in the back seat of the Bronco, sobbing and holding the barrel of a .357 magnum to his head.

Commuters gave up on their journeys to cheer Simpson on - and some even made signs that said 'Go O.J!'

The nation watched in disbelief and frantic callers flooded radio station begging Simpson to turn himself in.

Gascon, the LAPD's chief spokesman at the time said in an interview that 'the size of the audience really hit home. My sister in Paris saw me on TV and [so did] my cousin in Shanghai.'

OJ Simpson at home with Al Cowlings in an undated picture

Al Cowlings, with O.J. Simpson hiding, drives a white Ford Bronco as they lead police on a two-county chase along the northbound 405

O.J. Simpson sits at his arraignment in Superior Court in Los Angeles on July 22, 1994

His trial — and shocking acquittal — by a majority black jury captivated America, drawing one of the biggest audiences in TV history

OJ Simpson was found liable in civil court for $33.5 million for the murders of Ron Goldman and ex-wife Nicole Simpson in 1997 

While inside the Bronco, O.J. answered a cellphone call from lead Detected Tom Lange, who was trying to coerce O.J. to chuck the gun out of the window.

'O.J. O.J. This is Tom Lange from the Police Department. Remember me.' Lange asked him to toss the gun, O.J. said 'I am not going to hurt anybody but I need it for me.'

The fugitive begged 'Just let me get to the house. I just need to get to my house where I lived with Nicole.' Lange agreed.

Lange told O.J. that his children and his family needed him to stay alive. The detective has since admitted that he thinks O.K. is too much of a narcissist to kill himself.

When the pursuit finally ended and Simpson entered his Brentwood property just before 8pm, negotiations began.

First and foremost, O.J. asked officers if he could drink a glass of Orange Juice, the beverage he was nicknamed after, and call his mom.

He was then taken into custody and booked on two counts of first-degree murder.

The infamous car chase saw driver Al Cowlings carry fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson down the 405 freeway in Low Angeles, California

O.J. ultimately surrendered to police and he was arrested at his home in Brentwood, California, and taken to Los Angeles County Jail

The fugitive huddled in the back seat of his Cowlings' Bronco with a gun to his head while the police, media and fans followed after him - like a parade on the freeway

Americans were glued to their TV screens watching the standoff and Californians flooded to the 405 freeway to watch the 90-minute-long slow-speed car chase go down

After the chase, but before the trial, founder of a company called Startifacts, Michael Kronick, offered to buy the car for $75,000.  Cowlings initially agreed to the deal until he discovered Kronick's intentions. 

Mike Gilbert, Simpson's former agent told the story of what became of the car to ESPN.

He said: 'We found out that the company was going to rent the vehicle to a company in L.A. called Grave Line Tours, that visited famous graves.

'They were going to re-enact the chase with the Bronco and then take people to Nicole's grave. The trial hadn't taken place yet, and we didn't want people thinking anyone associated with O.J. did this.'

Cowlings backed out and instead settled a deal with Gilbert along with two of Cowlings' friends, Michael Pulwer and a man Gilbert referred to as 'Stan'. All three men took ownership of the infamous car.

The Bronco later resurfaced and appeared on The Strip in Las Vegas, and again six months later at a Connecticut exhibit.

Simpson rose to prominence as a running back who played 11 seasons, nine with the Buffalo Bills

Simpson with his arm around wife Nicole at the opening of the Harley Davidson Café

A grisly photo showing the bloody crime scene following the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman 

It was moved to a Las Vegas parking lot before Gilbert took it back to his home in Hanford, California.

There it was hidden under a tarpaulin sheet in a garage with the tires and even the gas from that day removed. 

'We didn't like that because we always wanted to make sure the car was in running condition,' Gilbert said. 

The car later appeared up at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where it was put on display. 

It was placed alongside other controversial vehicles including Ted Bundy's Volkswagen Beetle, a car used in the production of a Bonnie and Clyde movie, and one owned by gangster John Dillinger. 

A relic of pop culture and crime history, the Bronco was custom made, had a 5.0-liter V8 engine that could generate around 185 horsepower and only has about 32,000 miles on the clock.

Related articles