An Alabama police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave following his involvement in a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash Sept. 6 in Hartselle, officials and media reports said.
The officer, identified by sources as 24-year-old Garry Chapman, was placed on paid leave by the sheriff’s department pending the outcome of an investigation into the crash, TMZ reported. The incident left 17-year-old Tristan Hollis dead and sent six other people to area hospitals. Authorities have not disclosed the conditions of the other injured people.
Local officials and media accounts said the crash occurred after a chase that police were investigating. One person identified in local reports as Archie Hale was described as a possible suspect; reporters said Hale’s vehicle struck another car, sending it through an intersection before his own car crashed into a ditch. It was not immediately clear whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, and investigators had not released further details.
Priceville Mayor and Police Committee Chair Sam Heflin did not confirm to media whether the officer placed on leave is related to Duane Chapman, the longtime reality television figure known as "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Sources told TMZ that Garry Chapman is the son of the television personality. Media outlets have sought comment from the police committee chair and from representatives for Chapman; requests had not been answered as of Wednesday.
The administrative leave is a routine step agencies often take while collisions involving officers are reviewed, TMZ reported. Local and state investigators are expected to determine the sequence of events, whether department procedures were followed, and whether any charges are warranted.
Chapman, who was pictured on the Priceville Police Department’s social media earlier this year, said in an April question-and-answer post that he had been with law enforcement for three and a half years, including time as a corrections officer. In the department post he described being inspired by his father and said he was a full-time college student who had recently received an award in criminal justice. He also wrote that he spends time with family, attends church and works on his physical fitness.
Family members of the teenager killed in the crash have posted tributes on social media. Hollis’ grandmother, Beth Campbell Vinson, posted a photograph of the 17-year-old and wrote that he had died from injuries sustained in the Hartselle crash and asked for prayers for both families.
The Chapmans are a large blended family. Duane Chapman has children from multiple relationships and lost his fifth wife, Beth Smith, in 2019. The family has faced other recent tragedies: media reports said that about a month before the Hartselle crash, Duane Chapman’s stepson, Gregory Zecca, was placed on a psychiatric hold after an accidental shooting that killed his 13-year-old son. That incident prompted a separate law enforcement and medical response.
Investigators in the current case have not publicly released a timeline of the chase, whether the officer involved was on duty, or whether any citations or charges have been filed. The sheriff’s office and local authorities declined to provide additional comment while the investigation remains active.