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A shirtless 29-year-old man acting erratically was arrested Friday after he entered a classroom at a Menlo Park school, spat in a teacher’s face, and then attempted to assault a police officer, who used a Taser to restrain him, police said.
Anthony Gullo, identified as a transient, was booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of battery, assault on an officer and trespass, according to Menlo Park police.
The incident, which triggered a 20-minute school lockdown, occurred around 11 a.m. at Alto International School (formerly the German-American International School), at 475 Pope St. in Menlo Park. The school has classes for students from preschool through high school.
The man had been observed walking on the school’s campus while children were at play on the playground, police said. He was also yelling profanities, according to Menlo Park police Sgt. Aaron Dixon, who reviewed body camera footage of the incident.
At the same time an officer approached the man on the campus to find out what was going on, the police received a call to report that a man matching Mr. Gullo’s description had spat in a woman’s face in the vicinity of the school.
When the officer attempted to contact the man, the man fled around a corner at the campus, yelling at teachers before running into a classroom and confronting a teacher there. No students were in the classroom at the time, he said.
At the time of the incident, most students at the school were attending a play in the gym, said Sally Thorogood, head of Alto International School.
The man spat on the face of the teacher and left the classroom. He then attempted to assault the police officer, according to Sgt. Dixon. The officer then used a Taser to bring him into custody.
“He came at her (the officer) pretty quickly,” he said.
Mr. Gullo was on the school’s campus for total of about two and a half minutes before being brought into custody, Sgt. Dixon said.
He was taken to San Mateo County General Hospital, where he allegedly spat on hospital staff, police said.
“We are very grateful to our staff and students, who all followed our safety procedures and stayed calm while the police handled the situation. Friday’s incident underscores the importance of safety routines for every school,” Ms. Thorogood said in a statement. “Most importantly, the school is very thankful to the local police for their prompt response and support.”
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