Dog the Bounty Hunter's Cop Son Put on Leave After Violent Car Crash

Dog the Bounty Hunter's son, who works as a police officer, will be taking a brief break from the force ... he's been put on administrative leave following his involvement in a fatal crash.

Priceville Mayor Sam Heflin tells TMZ ... he can confirm that a Priceville PD officer named Garry Chapman has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an investigation -- standard procedure for a situation like this.

The mayor could NOT confirm if this Garry Chapman is the same as the son of Dog -- real name Duane Chapman -- who shares the same moniker. But sources familiar with the situation confirm that Garry is Dog's son.

We're told the circumstances surrounding the accident are still under investigation, but that Garry was involved in a chase that took place on Sept. 6 -- which left six people taken to the hospital and 17-year-old Tristan Hollis dead.

The other victims' various conditions are unknown.

However, one of the hospitalized victims, named Archie Hale, is also a possible suspect in the case ... it's unclear if drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash. Though, local reports claim Archie crashed his car into a ditch after hitting another vehicle -- which was sent through an intersection.

According to Hartselle PD, the Priceville Police Department was engaged in a vehicle pursuit and entered their jurisdiction around 8:30 PM on Saturday ... confirming a suspect entered an intersection and collided with another car.

We're told this caused the aforementioned injuries ... and a suspect has been taken into custody.