Dog the Bounty Hunter: Did Duane Chapman make false report about CO Springs shooting?

You might recall the hubbub back in 2009 when news broke that Duane "Dog" Chapman and his Dog the Bounty Hunter crew had apparently been shot at while attempting to apprehend a bail jumper in Colorado Springs. But now, the man arrested following the April 21, 2009 incident is suing...

By Jared Jacang Maher

March 2, 2011

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You might recall the hubbub back in 2009 when news broke that Duane "Dog" Chapman and his Dog the Bounty Hunter crew had apparently been shot at while attempting to apprehend a bail jumper in Colorado Springs. But now, the man arrested following the April 21, 2009 incident is suing the lion-maned reality TV star for falsely claiming he fired a gun.

Reports the Colorado Springs Gazette:

Hoang Minh Phung Nguyen contends that Chapman, his sons Duane Chapman II and Leland Blane Chapman and local bail bondsman Bobby Brown defamed him and had him falsely arrested.

Nguyen also claims the Chapmans injured him by firing pepper pellets as he fled on a motorcycle during the April 21, 2009 incident outside the Galley Apartments at 3617 E. Uintah Avenue.

Though Nguyen was arrested and booked by Colorado Springs Police on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, menacing and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, El Paso County prosecutors declined to file charges for lack of evidence. Still, Chapman and his wife defended their report that Nguyen had a gun to several media outlets, including in an interview on Larry King Live.

Audio of police radio correspondence during the affair does show police dispatchers relaying reports of men with "machine guns" creating a scene. But those men turned out to be members of Dog's own crew running about the area with pepper ball guns.

In his lawsuit, Nguyen says the media exposure caused him to lose his job in the Springs. (He now lives in Denver.) If the parties fail to reach a settlement, the case could go to trial as early as November.

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