Teacher takes bazooka to school, so he’s put on leave

A Berkeley teacher who brought a “deactivated bazooka” into his classroom last week was placed on paid administrative leave, officials said.

Alex Angell, who teaches AP history and world history at Berkeley High School, was placed on leave on April 11 pending an investigation into the incident, said Charles Burress, a spokesman for Berkeley Unified School District.

Burress said the district could not comment further, citing confidentiality concerns as the issue is a personnel matter.

“We’re conducting an investigation and we’re waiting before we make any statements on facts of the case,” Burress said.

A video was posted to social media showing Angell holding the bazooka over his shoulder while explaining how it was used roughly 70 years ago, according to Berkeleyside, which first reported the incident. The weapon was appar-

ently not armed.

The district did not say how it became aware of the incident.

A former student in Angell’s history class told Berkeleyside that last week’s incident was not the first time the teacher brought the bazooka to class. Another student said that Angell had numerous historical artifacts in his classroom, including a backpack from WWII and a medieval shield.

Angell could not be reached for comment. Since he was placed on administrative leave, a substitute teacher has filled in for his classes, Burress said. Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15