Troubled Famous People Who Fled From Law Enforcement

O.J. Simpson — Former NFL player and actor O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995 after one of the most famous police chases in history. Simpson is said to be in the back of his friend’s Ford Bronco, aiming a gun at his own head. The chase finally came to a stop when Simpson relented at his house.

Jake Lloyd — The actor responsible for the role of the young “Anakin Skywalker” in the first prequel of ‘Star Wars’ ran a red light in South Carolina in 2015 which led to a police chase until he lost control of his vehicle and crashed. According to ‘The Daily Telegraph’, Lloyd quit acting in 2001 after being bullied for his role in ‘The Phantom Menace’, after which he was reprised for many years. Lloyds’ mother told ‘TMZ’ that he has schizophrenia and that “the family plans to try and get him help again [...] once he's released from jail.”

Mel Gibson — According to ‘The Guardian’, the actor was pulled over for drunk driving in 2016 only to launch a volley of insults towards the police. Among the things said (which were later covered up by LAPD, Gibson supposedly said, “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” He was arrested on suspicion of DUI and released on $5,000 bail. He later said in interviews that he was “deeply ashamed of everything [he] said.”

Roman Polanski — In 1977, film director Roman Polanski fled the United States after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He fled to France and has avoided extradition attempts since. He continued to work, even winning several Oscars for ‘The Pianist’ in 2002.

James Brown — The father of Soul, legendary singer, and actor in a few films had also served time in South Carolina’s jail. In 1998, ten days before Christmas, Brown was accused of carrying a deadly weapon at a public gathering, attempting to flee police, and driving under the influence of drugs, according to ‘Time’. It is reported that he stormed into the insurance company next to his workplace with a shotgun and complained that “strangers were using his bathroom.” He ended up serving only two of the six years sentenced.

Lindsay Lohan — According to ‘MTV’, the singer was having a party in 2007 and allegedly screamed at her assistant, who then quit. Lohan did not take the news too well and decided to chase her assistant and mother, who had picked her up. Lohan was accused of driving erratically and being under the influence of drugs while carrying passengers against their will. Lohan was sued by the passengers involved in the car chase, accusing her of taking them on a wild ride while on drugs.

R. Kelly — The singer known for ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ has faced numerous accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse spanning several decades. In June 2002, he was indicted in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography based on a video recording, though he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, according to ‘The New York Times’. It was not until two decades after these original accusations that he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing women, girls, and boys, according to ‘BBC’

Chris Brown — In 2016 the singer allegedly pointed a gun at guests in his house in California, according to one of the guests who made the 911 call, who told ‘abc news’: “That’s when Chris came in and said ‘I’m so sick of all of you people’, put the gun out like this and said, ‘get the f- out.’” After the call, various police teams, including SWAT were sent out but could not enter the house. Instead of defusing the situation, Brown posted rants on Instagram, saying: “When you get the warrant or whatever you need to do you gonna walk up right in here and you gonna see nothing, you idiots.” After three hours he finally let everyone go and received no charges.

Randy Quaid — In 2010, the actor and his wife were found living illegally in their former house in California and were charged with burglary. The pair fled to Canada with the excuse that they were in danger from a conspiracy that was trying to ruin him. He indicated that so-called “star whackers” were trying to kill him indirectly, according to an interview on the ‘Early Show’, even indicating that they were responsible for Heath Ledger’s death. They were arrested in Canada after trying to escape once again.

Katt Williams — In 2012 the comedian was accused of “evading Sacramento police” after driving his three-wheeled motorbike onto the sidewalk. He managed to escape the police after running various red lights and was arrested days later on a warrant for his arrest.