Mere weeks after his stepmother Beth Chapman passed away, Leland Chapman, the 42-year-old son of Duane “Dog” Chapman, was severely injured and had to be hospitalized.
According to AL.com, Leland was injured while participating in his first bounty hunt since Beth passed away. He and Dog were chasing down a known fugitive in Adams County, Colorado, and there was a struggle.
At some point, Leland suffered an injury and was taken to the hospital. Leland’s spokesperson gave a statement to AL.com following his hospitalization, and said that he tore his ACL during the manhunt. According to the spokesperson, Leland’s injury requires surgery, and he will be “out of action for six weeks.”
#DogtheBountyHunter Star Leland Chapman Hospitalized on First Hunt Since Beth Chapman's Deathhttps://t.co/58EzAnw8sk pic.twitter.com/GQaMfNS4oQ
— PopCulture.com (@PopCulture) July 10, 2019
Since the injury occurred shortly before Beth’s memorial in Colorado, fans wondered if Leland would be able to attend. It turns out that he was able, and he even participated in an interview with his dad and siblings to speak about what life is like now that Beth is gone.
But other than that, not much has been heard from Leland since his sudden hospitalization. He finally broke his silence in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, and offered a little bit of insight into how he sustained his injury and just how severe it is.
As Leland revealed, he was still recovering from an injury to his left knee when this newest injury occurred. He was trying to take it easy, and made the decision to initially pursue the fugitive in a car rather than on foot.
Leland Chapman, the son of reality show star Dog the Bounty Hunter, will be out of action for six weeks due to an injury sustained while chasing a fugitive. https://t.co/XnlkGMYo26 pic.twitter.com/owVdfE8l0b
— AL.com (@aldotcom) July 10, 2019
Then, when Leland saw that the fugitive was tiring, he got out of the car and tried to go after him. That’s when the man shut a gate in his face, so Leland decided to try and kick it open:
“When I went to kick the gate, it kind of flexed and then it completely severed off my Achilles tendon. So it broke. Snapped it right in half. When I put my foot down, I kind of felt like it was asleep. I felt like I was walking on sand.”
Ouch! Even though Leland was injured, he continued the pursuit, and the fugitive was eventually apprehended.
Now that Beth’s memorial is over, Leland is set to have surgery to repair his torn ACL. We’ll be praying for his quick and complete recovery.
Tune in to the video below to hear Leland, Dog, and others speak about how much Beth meant to them, and what life is like now that she’s no longer with us.