Hundreds arrested as NYPD cops in riot gear storm Columbia ...

Hundreds of protesters were arrested -- yet no injuries reported -- when NYPD officers in riot gear descended on Columbia University late Tuesday, using tactical strategies to clear the occupied Hamilton Hall and lawn encampment at the request of the college, as anti-war demonstrations at U.S. campuses reached an inflection point.

Dramatic video showed heavily geared officers using a ladder truck and climbing through a window to access the historic hall, known for its role in an anti-Vietnam War protest decades ago, where protesters had barricaded themselves after smashing windows and doors to break in less than 24 hours before.

Police used "flash bangs," or distraction devices, to quell any potential response by the protesters as they moved in. They said tear gas was not used. Authorities at a news conference Wednesday commended the NYPD for their restraint, which happened as students protesting at UCLA engaged in violence with police working to clear them.

"The NYPD’s precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm, and that there were no injuries or violent clashes," Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday. "There’s nothing peaceful about barricading buildings, destroying property or destroying security cameras. We cannot allow what should be a lawful protest to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, and other NYPD officials hold a news conference outlining intel they say shows external actors have co-opted the protests at Columbia University.

Columbia, which had faced backlash for calling in the NYPD as initial protests ratcheted up last month, made the decision to call officers back late Tuesday "with the utmost regret" to dissipate what university officials described had become "a clear and present danger to persons, property and the substantial functioning of the university."

Read the full letter here. A shelter-in-place alert was issued on the campus ahead of and throughout the operation.

Roughly 40 to 50 of the approximately 230 people arrested at Columbia Tuesday had been in Hamilton Hall, mostly on the first floor. The occupying protesters will be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing. Protesters participating in the encampment on the lawn will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban spoke about the police department's actions at Columbia University and City College overnight to remove protesters and break up encampments.

It's not clear how many of those arrested at Columbia students. Some may be expelled. Investigators had said evidence indicated that outside agitators co-opted the protest and were largely responsible for the escalation. Other students who refused to comply with university policy on Tuesday and over the course of the weeks-long protests face suspension, meaning their college IDs will be deactivated and they can't finish the semester. Finals wrap up this week.

The school has asked police to remain on campus through May 17 to ensure additional encampments do not pop up and to maintain order. Graduation is scheduled for May 15.

Restrictions limiting access to Columbia to one entry point -- at 116th Street and Amsterdam -- and essential personnel and dorm-dwelling students were implemented early Tuesday in response to the protests and remain in effect for now.

Anti-war protests escalate in NYC, elsewhere

What happened at Columbia Tuesday night was preventable, officials have said.

Earlier in the evening, Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban made an impassioned plea to Columbia protesters to vacate Hamilton Hall "before the situation escalates" further.

That news conference followed similar calls to action from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and from the White House, which condemned the escalation earlier Tuesday.

"President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful," a statement said. "Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful – it is wrong."

PHOTOS: Columbia University student protesters take over Hamilton Hall

Police have swept through campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks in response to protests calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. There have been confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.

City College of New York joined the fray Tuesday night, as cops responded to a protest there. About 70 people were arrested as NYPD secured the area. The college says it will operate remotely until further notice.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would lead to an easing of protests.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.