A Woodside High School teacher who tried to advise an aggravated youth to relax and ease up on his use of profanity has had one of his teeth knocked out and another loosened after a single punch from the unidentified youth, who then left the scene.
The incident occurred about 3:20 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, across the street from the school in a crosswalk at the intersection of Hull Avenue and the Alameda de las Pulgas, according to a report from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
The teacher, whose name the Sheriff’s Office is withholding to avoid reprisals against him, will require about $5,000 in dental work, including steel pins to help stabilize his teeth, the report said.
Deputies are using yearbook photos and seeking witnesses to identify the suspect, who may or may not be a Woodside student, the report said. The suspect, who is black, was wearing black sweatpants and a black shirt with red and yellow writing on the front of it, the report said.
The teacher had been walking home when he noticed what looked like an argument among students, including one youth “acting aggressively and yelling profanities at everyone walking past him,” the report said.
The teacher advised him to “calm down, there is no need to use profanities,” but it had the effect of increasing his aggressiveness, the report said. Others at the scene held the youth back and informed him that he’d been talking to a teacher, but it had no calming effect, the report said.
As the teacher attempted to leave, the youth confronted him and punched him without warning, knocking him to the ground. The teacher had had his hands full with workbooks and a backpack and so could not defend himself, the report said.
The teacher had the presence of mind to pick up his tooth from the ground, then walked home and called the Sheriff’s Office, the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the incident to call the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.
