The former Kailua High School student who was hit in the head with a hammer thrown by shop teacher David Izumi said Izumi was throwing various objects in the classroom that day and that if he hadn’t ducked, he could have been injured more seriously.
Branden Bitanga’s scalp gash required four stitches.
Izumi, 51, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault.
A state judge granted Izumi’s request for a deferral of his plea to avoid a conviction Wednesday and to give him the opportunity to clear the charge from his criminal record.
The prosecutor had asked District Judge David Lo to convict Izumi of the assault and sentence him to the maximum one-year jail term.
Instead, Lo ordered Izumi to pay a $2,000 fine, perform 500 hours of community service, pay $190 in restitution for the student’s medical expenses and undergo anger management training.
In granting the deferral, Lo determined that Izumi acted recklessly, not intentionally, in injuring the student.
Izumi apologized in court Wednesday for his actions in the classroom April 14.
He previously said he was under a lot of stress at the time and that he swung the hammer not at anyone, but in frustration. He said when he tried to stop the hammer from hitting some glass it slipped out of his hand and hit the student.
Izumi said he immediately apologized to Bitanga, who he said is a good student, and told the student he loved him.
Bitanga attended Izumi’s hearing in Kaneohe District Court on Wednesday but did not address the court.
Deputy Prosecutor Moanikeala Colon read in court a statement written by Bitanga. In it, Bitanga said he will never forget the day Izumi lost control in the classroom.
"I was scared for my life. My life was in danger in shop class that day and I could feel my heart racing. I tried to keep my eyes on my teacher the whole time he was going off at the class because I didn’t know what he was going to do," Bitanga wrote.
Bitanga said he is thankful that he is still alive and was able to graduate this year.
The school principal recommended Izumi’s termination and the school year started last month without him.
His lawyer, William Domingo, said Izumi is out of a job and has exhausted his appeals through the union grievance process.
