Man Charged in Abuse of Girlfriend, Toddler

A man was charged with attempted murder Thursday for allegedly pistol-whipping his ex-girlfriend on Christmas, then dropping their 1-year-old daughter from the top of an Long Beach apartment building. The toddler fell 12 feet to the concrete below but was unhurt.

Along with attempted murder, Julian Lopez Zamorano, 32, was charged with false imprisonment of a hostage, child endangering, brandishing a firearm at an officer, two counts of abuse of a co-habitant and possession of cocaine.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lorraine Silvers said Zamorano forced his way into his girlfriend’s Long Beach apartment on Christmas and pistol-whipped her. Long Beach police were called and when they arrived, Zamorano used his daughter as a shield and pointed a gun at the child’s head and at officers, Silvers said. He dropped the child and fled, but was captured about a quarter of a mile away.