George Zimmerman accused of pointing shotgun at girlfriend

Deputies in Florida say the girlfriend of George Zimmerman, a former neighbourhood watch volunteer acquitted of fatally shooting an unarmed black teen earlier this year, has accused him of pointing a shotgun at her.

Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma says the girlfriend has accused Zimmerman of pointing the shotgun at her during an argument at the home they shared in Florida.

Lemma said Monday during a news conference in Sanford that Zimmerman was charged with aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief after the dispute.

Lemma says no one was hurt, and no one else was at the home when deputies arrived.

Deputies say Zimmerman had barricaded himself inside by wedging furniture against the door before officers arrived. His girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, was outside the home and gave deputies a key to get inside.

Lemma said once deputies got inside, Zimmerman did not resist and was not armed. He said investigators hope to search the home for any weapons.

Zimmerman, 30, was acquitted of all charges earlier this year in the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin. The death of the black teenager, who was unarmed, touched off a nationwide debate about race and self-defence. Zimmerman has said he shot the 17-year-old to defend himself during a fight.

Not first brush with the law since acquittal

Zimmerman's arrest at a house in Apopka, northwest of Orlando, was just his latest brush with the law.

Zimmerman and his estranged wife were involved in a domestic dispute in September just days after Shellie Zimmerman filed divorce papers, but police later said no charges were filed against either of them because of a lack of evidence.

Zimmerman has also been pulled over three times for traffic stops since his acquittal. He was ticketed for doing 97 km/h in a 73 km/h zone in September and was given a warning by a state trooper for having a tag cover and windows that were too darkly tinted. He was also stopped near Dallas in July and was given a warning for speeding.