By Police1 Staff
NEW YORK — An officer has been stripped of his gun and badge after viral video showed him pointing his firearm at bystanders during an arrest, NBC New York reported.
Witnesses were recording the officer arresting a man when he pointed his weapon at them, then later punched one of the bystanders in the face.
The unidentified officer was stripped of his gun and badge, police told the news site.
The incident occurred May 19 when police were pursuing suspects for riding illegal dirt bikes. When they caught up to one, a struggle ensued during the arrest.
Eric Worrell, Kalen Adams, Ronnie Pinkerton Jr. and Jenico Harvey were nearby and began to film the arrest. One of the officers noticed them, pointed his weapon at them and told them to back up.
“I thought he was going to shoot,” Pinkerton told NBC New York. “First thing I thought, he was going to shoot.”
Minutes later, another video showed the officer walk up and punch Harvey in the face before arresting him.
Police told the news site the video did not capture Harvey yelling “I’m going to kill you” at officers before they made the arrest.
The incident was under internal review and the department would not comment any further.