By SHANE DIMAIO, PAUL LIOTTA

and EDDIE D'ANNA

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A video of a police officer brandishing his firearm while approaching several young men in Port Richmond is going viral on social media.

The video -- which was posted to Facebook by Maleek Simmons Saturday night after an incident that took place earlier that day -- has garnered more than 120,000 views as well as speculation, debate and controversy.

Police officials, who said they are aware of the incident, said it occurred at approximately 6:15 p.m. in the vicinity of Catherine Street and Decker Avenue.

In a Facebook message to the Advance, Simmons said he, his cousin, and a friend had recently played baseball and were walking down the street.

A baseball bat can be seen at the beginning of the video, which Simmons said was recorded by his cousin.

Simmons claims several officers approached them saying they were told the young men were in possession of firearms.

An officer can be seen holding a baseball bat and putting an individual on the ground, who Simmons identified as himself.

From there the camera quickly pans to another officer approaching Simmons' cousin with his firearm drawn.

He points the gun at the person recording and repeatedly orders him to "get on the ground," but the individual recording refuses to comply with his demands.

"Don't point your gun at me," the man tells the officer. "I'm not doing anything wrong... I ain't getting on the ground."

About 25 seconds after he is first seen, the officer holsters his weapon, and eventually stops pursuing the individual recording.

The officers are wearing button-down shirts and ties, and police have confirmed them as members of the NYPD. No further identification has been provided.

Simmons maintains police had no reason to stop the men, and that they were doing nothing wrong.

Police, however, are standing by their response.

A written statement from the NYPD's office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said officers responded to "911 calls reporting a large fight involving several males armed with baseball bats."

When they arrived on the scene they encountered individuals in possession of bats, and dispersed the group.

There is no mention of any arrests, and the officer brandishing his firearm is not addressed in the written statement.

A local law enforcement source with knowledge of the incident told the Advance that the NYPD received a call from a concerned resident who saw about a dozen males walking around the neighborhood with baseball bats.

When police responded, all of the individuals fled the scene with the exception of three males, the source said.

Police drew their guns because at least one of the males put his hand in his pocket, and police were uncertain if he was reaching for a weapon, the source said.

Police ascertained that the males didn't have weapons, and they were allowed to leave, the source said.

No arrests were made.

Simmons' post on Facebook has generated a fair amount of controversy.

Several commenters on the post have called for an investigation into the police response, tagging various news outlets in the comment thread.

"Walking to him while aiming his gun at him was uncalled for," said one Facebook user.

Another said he was "proud" of the man recording the video for standing up for himself.

Others, however, say he should have complied with the officers' demands.

"When a cop tells u to do something, u f------ do it," one user says.