A Guadalupe man accused of beating a teen with a bat after believing he intentionally hurt his girlfriend's sister is facing assault charges.
Court documents show that on March 24, a man beat a teenager with a bat so severely the bat splintered with damage.
Police say this happened at the playground of an apartment complex near 3rd Avenue and Buckeye Road in Phoenix.
Police report that 39-year-old Eric Castorena Zamora did not believe the 16-year-old victim when he was told that he accidently elbowed his girlfriend in the mouth. Zamora's girlfriend is the sister of the elbowed victim.
Police believe Zamora confronted the victim with a wooden baseball bat, saying he didn't believe the victim's story about it being an accident. Zamora swung the bat, struck the victim in the head and repeatedly hit him "with enough force that it caused the bat to splinter."
The victim suffered two broken elbows, a broken forearm and a bruised lung.
The victim knew the suspect only as "Eric," but the victim's mother was able to track down Eric's full name and found his photograph on the Arizona Department of Corrections website.
Police created a photo lineup and the victim identified Zamora and the suspect.
Zamora was arrested the next day at his home in Guadalupe. The splintered bat was also found in the home.
Zamora is facing aggravated assault charges.
