OJ Simpson to appear in Las Vegas court

Simpson, who was sensationally acquitted for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend in 1994, could be released on bail at the hearing which will see him arraigned on several felony charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping.

Simpson's lawyers have indicated they will seek their client's immediate release at the hearing, which is scheduled for 8:00 am (5:00am AEST).

The charges stem from an incident at a Las Vegas casino hotel last Thursday, when a gang of gun-toting men that included Simpson is reported to have stormed into a hotel room and snatched sporting memorabilia from two dealers.

In interviews prior to his arrest Simpson denied robbery, saying he was only recovering items that had been illegally stolen from him. He also denied that anyone in the group was armed.

On a tape that surfaced in US media reports on Monday, a man identified as Simpson could be heard angrily confronting the two sports memorabilia dealers.

Several unidentified voices are heard barking aggressive, expletive-laden demands at the victims of the heist, Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.

In a further twist to the case it emerged late Tuesday that Fromong had been hospitalised in Los Angeles after suffering a massive heart attack.

Officials at Cedars Sinai Medical Center were not immediately available for comment early Wednesday.

'Impersonating police'

Meanwhile, further details of the incident emerged in a police report that was obtained by several US media outlets.

According the report at least one member of the gang impersonated a police officer, brandishing a semi-automatic weapon and warning: "I'm a cop and you're lucky this ain't LA [Los Angeles] or you'd be dead."

Fromong was also shoved over a chair according to the report. It also revealed the two dealers had been lured to the hotel room by another man, Thomas Riccio, a memorabilia dealer who told them he had a buyer interested in Simpson-related items.

One of the most famous American football players of his generation during a glittering 1970s career that saw him set several records, Simpson was the prime suspect in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.

Nicole, who had filed for divorce from Simpson in 1992 citing his "abusive behaviour," was attacked so savagely that she was almost decapitated.

Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was acquitted of murder after a racially charged Los Angeles trial in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across America.

Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families totalling $33.5 million ($A39.86 million). © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation