A teenager has admitted striking a Berkeley teacher with a plastic garbage can during a heated altercation with another student.Tristan Hollis, 16, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting Gregory Sargeant on May 10.Magistrates’ Court heard that at around 2pm, the complainant was teaching a class at the Berkeley Institute when Hollis asked permission to leave the classroom.When he stepped out, Mr Sargeant heard Hollis and another student shouting at each other. He followed the students, and saw the students facing off in the hallway.Mr Sargeant grabbed one of the students and began to pull him away from Hollis, but after taking three or four steps, he felt something strike the back of his head.He turned around and saw Hollis holding a large plastic trash can. Mr Sargeant told Hollis to go to his office, but the student shouted: “I don’t f***ing care. I’m going to kill that boy. I’m not going anywhere.”Mr Sargeant gripped Hollis in what prosecutor Garrett Byrne described as a bear hug and carried him to his office, where he contacted security.Duty Counsel Michaela Clemens told the court Hollis was a good student, and despite being expelled from Berkeley as a result of the incident, was working to continue his education.She said the incident was the result of an altercation during the school’s lunch break, in which the second student had insulted Hollis. Ms Clemens said Hollis was remorseful for what happened, and that the incident had come out of “blind anger”.Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner noted that Hollis had already been punished for the incident in that he was expelled, telling the defendant: “I hope that means something to you.”In the circumstances, Mr Warner ruled that a 12-month conditional discharge would be the appropriate sentence.