Police: Simpson cooperating in armed robbery probe

(CNN) -- The victim of an alleged armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel says former NFL star O.J. Simpson was involved, but police are still investigating and no arrests have been made, a police spokesman said Friday.

A man who said he saw the incident told a reporter Simpson was taking back memorabilia that he said had been stolen from him, and no gun was used.

Simpson, speaking by phone with CNN's Ted Rowlands, also said there were no guns involved, adding, "I just wanted to get my stuff back."

Capt. James Dillon said police received a call about 8 p.m. Thursday from someone who said various sports-related items had been taken from him, and identified one of the people involved as Simpson. Officers found the hall of fame running back at a hotel, and he was being questioned as a possible suspect, Dillon said.

"He is not in custody. He is cooperating with the investigation and is meeting with robbery detectives at this time," the officer told reporters.

"We have a report from the victim that there were weapons involved, but have not recovered any," Dillon added. He called the investigation "very preliminary."

Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia collector, was one of the alleged victims. He said "absolutely" two of the men with Simpson had guns and were pointing them at people in the room. Watch memorabilia collector discuss incident »

Fromong said Simpson was screaming at the people inside the room and pointing at items saying "That's mine, that's mine, that's mine."

He described the incident as "a home invasion-type robbery."

Fromong testified for Simpson in the 1997 wrongful death trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by the family of Ron Goldman, who was killed in 1994 alongside Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Simpson was acquitted of the slayings in 1995, but the jury in the 1997 trial found him liable and awarded the Goldmans $33.5 million.

Fromong testified that prices for Simpson memorabilia had dropped substantially since the 1995 verdict was announced, part of a defense contention that Simpson could not possibly afford to pay the Goldmans.

Simpson, 60, said he had been told some of his personal items were for sale, things he hadn't seen in years or that had been stolen. Among those, he said, were photographs of his family and himself as a child and photographs and negatives Nicole Simpson took.

Simpson said he came into the room with a group of friends, one of whom was posing as a potential buyer. The friends helped him carry items out.

But, he said, there were no guns, and it was not a robbery. "What would you have done?" he asked. "I'm O.J. Simpson. Who am I going to rob?"

Simpson said he did raise his voice at the sellers and harsh words were exchanged -- "possibly" threats, he said, but no one was hurt. He said he was in the room only a matter of minutes.

As he was leaving, he said, one of the sellers in the room asked him if they were "good" and if they could still do business together.

The ex-football star said he wanted his things back but it wasn't because of their monetary value. He said he has "never, ever, ever" sold any of his personal items, although he has sold his Heisman Trophy, autographs and participated in memorabilia shows.

The incident happened at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino, a police spokesman said.

Dillon said police had seized surveillance tapes and photographs, and had finished processing the scene.

"It is certainly too early to comment on what has been seen on the surveillance and photographs," Dillon said.

He said police are cataloging and identifying the sports items they retrieved, and are looking for additional items. He did not describe or elaborate on anything in police possession.

Once initial interviews with Simpson are completed, "we will have a better assessment of what was stolen, what actually occurred and other parties involved," Dillon said.

He said the department is committed to a "thorough, unbiased and competent investigation."

Earlier Friday, Thomas Riccio told Fox5 News (KVVU) television in Las Vegas he had told Simpson about the sale. He said he received a call about a month ago from someone who said he wanted to auction some of Simpson's personal possessions. Riccio said he called Simpson, with whom had he done business in the past, and the former football player told him the items had been stolen.

The Goldman family recently has published a book about the slayings. Simpson wrote the book under the title "If I Did It." However, an outcry led to the cancellation of a book deal for him, and a bankruptcy judge subsequently awarded the Goldmans the rights to the book in light of their inability to collect the wrongful death award. They renamed the book "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer."

Simpson said "my family put this book thing behind us a long time ago. I have nothing against the Goldmans. More power to them."

He also said he had contacted the Brown family and told them about the sale of personal items. He said he told them he would send them any photographs or other items belonging to his ex-wife that he obtained.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Browns. E-mail to a friend

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