Screenshot of the video posted on Twitter, and booking photo of David Fritz
SACRAMENTO—A Sacramento high school teacher was arraigned in court last week on two counts of battery against two students.
McClatchy High School teacher David Fritz, 58, allegedly wrestled two boys, both 15, in class on October 30, which students recorded and showed to school administrators. Fritz was removed from the classroom following the incident and arrested by police.
A seven-second clip on Twitter shows a teacher dressed in sunglasses wearing a puffy, red polka dot hat and black shirt for the Friday before Halloween. He was growling and threw a student to the ground who was still seated in his desk. The teacher appeared to be grabbing for the student’s cellphone.
In a complaint filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office prior to the arraignment, which took place on November 18, Fritz, a 20-year employee at McClatchy High School— was said to willfully and unlawfully use force and violence against the boys. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Eleventh-grader David Garcia, one of the students in the video, said Fritz entered the English class singing and dancing, but then began cursing and yelling. Garcia said the teacher approached him for no known reason and pulled him from his desk.
Garcia said he laughed initially, and then told Fritz to stop. He said Fritz then began teaching with no explanation of the behavior.
Fritz is out on bail and remains on paid administrative leave.
