Shots fired at Dog the bounty hunter and his crew.
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- by Christie, on Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:30pm PDT
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Bounty
hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and local bail bondsman Bobby
Brown were shot at in Colorado Springs while trying to apprehend a
man wanted for attempted second-degree murder, police said.Sgt.
Roger Vargason said the two were attempting to take 35-year-old
Hoang Nguyen into custody at an apartment complex at about 7:15
p.m. Tuesday when Nguyen shot at them at least once with a handgun
and fled on a motorcycle. No injuries were reported.Vargason said
initial callers to police reported that Chapman and Brown were
armed with machine guns, which turned out to be paintball guns.
Chapman's Web site said he was armed with a pepper-ball gun.
"We're 100 yards from him. He is right in front of our
eyes," Brown said, recalling the shooting. "Then all of a
sudden, he turns around and makes a gesture. He has a gun. You hear
a pop. It was just kind of surreal."Witness Trae Coleman said
he let his dog outside of his apartment and saw "to my right a
guy on a motorcycle and he starts shooting at them.""It
was pretty wild," Coleman said.Chapman later caught up with
Nguyen at about 1:30 a.m. and took him into custody. El Paso County
Jail records indicate Nguyen was being held on 13 charges, but
details weren't immediately available. He was also wanted for
domestic violence and a gun charge.Lt. David Whitlock said police
have been unable to find any shell casings or bullet holes related
to the reported shooting.Chapman is best known for A&E's
"Dog the Bounty Hunter" TV reality series. His film crew
was with him during the attempted arrest but the crew told police
they missed filming the shooting.Brown said the show keeps
criminals off the streets."Law enforcement, unfortunately,
does not have the manpower to go out and execute warrants and
arrest people on outstanding warrants," Brown said. "We
go out arrest people and make sure they go to court and it's at
no cost to the taxpayers."When asked if the situation helps or
hurts the Colorado Springs Police Department, Whitlock replied,
"Clearly, when you have a television show it's about
ratings. Ratings are about self promotion, maybe not necessarily
community service.""We are pretty confident that
we're taking care of business and arresting criminals down here
too," he added.
I think this article is ridiculous. Who in their right mind
would ever think that bounty hunters would be carrying paint-ball
guns? Then the police saying that they just do this for show
ratings rather than for a community service? Get real.
Just because the local police couldn't find this man they have
to degrade Dog and his family? Dog and his family made the
police officers look like a bunch of jokes. They came over to
the mainland from Hawaii to catch the criminals and bail jumpers
that the moronic police can't catch themselves, when they
should be the ones catching them seeing as they know the area
better. I love Dog and his crew they are truely trying to get
these criminals off the streets when the police can't do that
themselves. I don't know just a thought!