One of the most memorable moments in TV history happened on June 17, 1994 when a suicidal Simpson fled the police, with his friend Al Cowlings at the wheel, after a warrant was issued for his arrest for the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The police chase disrupted NBC's NBA Finals coverage of Game 5 between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, with NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw describing the chase as a "modern tragedy and drama of Shakespearean proportion." KCBS helicopter pilot Zoey Tur was the first to spot Simpson's car. “Sitting up there, the enormity of it hit you," said Tur, who was then known as Bob Tur (she later came out as transgender and underwent sex reassignment surgery). "He is one of the most famous people in America at thnd he is running from the police as a wanted murderer." (Tur's daughter is MSNBC's Katy Tur.) Today is also the 25th anniversary of a Howard Stern fan pranking Peter Jennings during ABC's live coverage before Al Michaels stepped in and informed Jennings he had been pranked.
TOPICS: O.J. Simpson, NBC, NBA Finals, Al Michaels, Howard Stern, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Zoey Tur