Police Arrest Man They Say Used Daughter, 1, as Shield

A 1-year-old girl apparently escaped serious injury Tuesday when her father used her as a shield to elude police and then either dropped her from the roof of a Long Beach apartment building or jumped with her in his arms, Long Beach police said.

The unidentified child appeared unhurt after a 12-foot fall, said Cpl. Wes Workman, but was hospitalized for tests after police found her lying on the concrete walkway outside the building.

The girl’s father, 32-year-old Julian Zamorano, allegedly had beaten his estranged wife and taken his daughter at gunpoint shortly before noon. Workman said that as officers arrived, they watched Zamorano walk out of the apartment holding a handgun to the child’s head and climb to the roof of the building.

“The officers could not see whether he threw the child to the ground or whether he leaped with the baby in his arms,” Workman said.

Police chased Zamorano for about a quarter-mile as he hopped back-yard fences and ran through streets and alleys, Workman said, but he surrendered when officers caught up with him in an alley west of Long Beach Boulevard.

Zamorano was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of his daughter, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnaping, possession of cocaine, burglary and felony spousal abuse and for outstanding drunk driving warrants, Workman said.

The couple had been estranged for about nine months, he said.