New York Police Department Chief of Patrol John Chell told Newsmax he’s more concerned about the 500 Columbia University students who left class Thursday to taunt police than the 108 peaceful protesters arrested for setting up an encampment on the South Lawn of Columbia University.

“This started Wednesday morning about nine o’clock when there were protesters outside the school and then students took over the West Lawn inside the school and made a tent city,” Chell told Newsmax TV’s “American Agenda,” of the pro-Palestinian demonstration.

“That went on during the day as the school was negotiating with the students …at  nine o’clock that night, the order was given by the school, ‘If you don’t leave, you’d be suspended.’ The kids stayed on. Then throughout the night, we had calls with Columbia on how we’re going to strategize this properly. By 10 o’clock the next morning, they gave us a verbal and a written statement as to what they wanted. They wanted to remove the rest of the trespassing.

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