Man allegedly pistol-whips stepdaughter in domestic dispute

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A man has been jailed and charged with several felonies for pistol-whipping his stepdaughter and holding a gun to his wife's head in the course of a domestic dispute.

Maximillian Arostegui, 34, threatened to kill his wife and himself, shot a handgun into the ceiling, and attacked his stepdaughter when she attempted to intervene to help her mother, Arostegui's family told police.

Prosecutors have charged Arostegui, of Rancho Cucamonga, with two counts of assault with a firearm, criminal threats, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and child abuse.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of about 12 years in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Theodore J. Smith III. Arostegui has pleaded not guilty.

A dispute between Arostegui and his wife quickly became violent when he arrived intoxicated at about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the family's home in the 9200 block of Lemon Avenue, family members told police, according to police reports attached to Arostegui's court file.

The couple argued over "basic domestic issues," Arostegui's wife told police, and Arostegui told the woman and her daughter to move out by 4 p.m. the following day.

As Arostegui's statements became louder and more profane, the wife went to a bedroom. Arostegui followed her, taking out a handgun from his waistband in the process, the wife told police.

The wife told police she lay down in the room, and her husband straddled her and said, "I am going to kill you and then kill myself." He jabbed the gun into the back her head several times, the wife told police.

Arostegui's stepdaugher then intervened by jumping on Arostegui's back. He shook her off and pistol-whipped her in the head, then punched her in the face several times, the girl, her younger sister and the wife told police.

The girl suffered a one-inch cut above her left ear that required stitches, according to police reports.

After he allegedly attacked his daughter, Arostegui turned again to his wife and fired his gun into the air, family members told police. He repeated his threat to kill her.

As the fight between Arostegui and his wife escalated, the girls called 9-1-1.

When sheriff's deputies arrived at the house, Arostegui was still engaged with his wife. He made comments to her indicating he anticipated a shootout with deputies, the wife told investigators.

Deputies saw Arostegui inside the house when they arrived. They ordered him to come outside, and he complied, according to police reports.

Arostegui was armed as he stood in the doorway at the front of his house. He dropped his weapon when ordered, but he didn't move away from the gun and failed to lie down as ordered by deputies, according to the police report.

Sheriff's deputies used a Taser twice in the course of Arostegui's arrest -- first to get him to drop to the ground, and again when he struggled as he was handcuffed, according to the police report.

"Two high-capacity mags is all you got on me," Arostegui reportedly told a deputy. "I ain't telling you (expletive)."

Arostegui remains jailed in lieu of $700,000 bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

He is next due in West Valley Superior Court on May 20 for a routine pre-preliminary conference.