USA: OJ Simpson arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Las Vegas

OJ Simpson has been taken into custody in connection with an armed robbery in Las Vegas. Another man has also been arrested in relation to the alleged crime. Former football star O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife, has been arrested in connection with an alleged armed robbery last week in a hotel room in Las Vegas, police said on Sunday. Simpson was taken into custody at the Palms hotel on Sunday (September 16) morning without incident and faces felony charges, Capt. James Dillon of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters. Bail has not yet been set for Simpson, who will be transferred and booked into the county jail. Las Vegas police on Saturday night arrested another man they believe was with the former star athlete during the alleged theft of Simpson-related sports souvenirs and other items and said they are searching for four others. They also said they seized two handguns they believe are related to the Thursday night incident, which was reported by a sports memorabilia dealer as an armed robbery in his room at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino. Representatives for the Palms and Simpson's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Charges against Simpson include two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a firearm, Dillon said. He is expected to be arraigned within 48 hours. Orenthal James, or O.J., Simpson has previously told police and the media that he did nothing wrong in Las Vegas. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in what was one of the most sensational court dramas in U.S. history. Simpson told the paper that "golfing buddies and some of their friends" accompanied him to a meeting at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino to help him retrieve sports memorabilia, personal photos and other items he said had been stolen by a former sports agent. Simpson, who is 60 and lives in Miami, Florida, said an auctioneer set up the meeting with the sellers. He said the men in his party were unarmed. After he was acquitted in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, a civil court jury found Simpson responsible for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to their families. The former National Football League star, who also appeared in films and commercials, has had other minor brushes with police since 1995. He could not immediately be reached for comment. Simpson's latest legal flap comes as Simpson's book "If I Did It," which includes a hypothetical account of his ex-wife's murder, was hitting store shelves. The book is currently No. 2 on Amazon.com's best-seller list.

ITN Source | September 17, 2007

Tags:. .wrong. .league. .alleged. .legal. .golfing