West Haven — A Connecticut middle school teacher fired after a video emerged showing him acting aggressively toward a student and pulling a chair out from under him says he regrets the confrontation and never meant for it to get out of hand.

David Pfaff, who worked at Harry M. Bailey Middle School in West Haven, told WVIT-TV he asked the student to get up so others could use a table, and the student refused, at one point using inappropriate language.

Pfaff says he felt getting school security involved would be "overkill," so he removed the chair hoping the student would be forced to stand. Instead the student fell to the floor. Another student captured the incident on cellphone.

Pfaff was escorted from the school by police, who have opened an investigation.