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A New York City police officer while in plain clothes was caught on camera punching a man in the head, tackling him to the ground and then pointing his gun at bystanders while subduing another person.

“Back up!” the police officer yells while pointing his firearm. “Back up! I’m not playing!”

According to NBC New York News, the officer had his badge and gun stripped after the incident, which took place in Harlem, N.Y., on Friday.

Several onlookers captured video of the incident and uploaded the content to social media.

But during the intense confrontation they say they feared for their lives.

“I thought he was going to shoot,” Ronnie Pinkerton Jr. told NBC. “First thing I thought, he was going to shoot.”

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New York law enforcement officials allege that the man punched in the face by the officer yelled, “I’m going to kill you” immediately before the confrontation.

The officer was in the neighbourhood arresting illegal dirt bike riders, which is part of a wider NYPD plan to tackle the city’s problem with unlicensed drivers.

The NYPD say they will be conducting an internal review of the officer’s behaviour.