Dramatic moment: A police officer repeatedly punches a hooded man in the face before swinging his Taser after responding to reports of a stabbing – as Scotland Yard launches an investigation into the video

This is the dramatic moment a Metropolitan Police officer repeatedly punched a hooded man in the face before swinging his Taser as they responded to reports of a person carrying a machete.

In a video shared on social media, two officers can be seen handling a man in a gray hoodie on Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith, west London.

While one holds the man around his waist, the other officer punches him repeatedly in the face until he falls to the ground and is restrained.

In the footage, members of the public filming the incident could be heard pleading with officers to stop as two other men approached before being told to “go back, go back” as a police officer pulled out his Taser gun .

Police said the video was just “a small snapshot of a broader incident that officers were dealing with,” before adding that the officers’ full-body video would be reviewed by the Professional Standards Unit.

In video footage shared online, a Met police officer can be seen repeatedly punching a man in the face before pinning him to the ground

When two men attempted to intervene, one of the Metropolitan Police officers was seen pointing his Taser at them

It said a man was arrested after he was reportedly carrying a machete. However, no weapon was found on him during the arrest and search. He was then allowed to continue on his way.

During the search, another man intervened and prevented the officers from carrying out their duties, the police said. That man was then arrested for obstructing a search and taken into police custody, where he remains.

Only one of the arrested men can be seen in the video recordings.

After the man in the video falls to the ground, one of the officers sits on top of him while the other cuffs his hands behind his back.

Seconds later, a police car arrives and two more officers jump out of the vehicle and appear to walk to someone else in the crowd.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Ware, from the Central West Basic Command Unit, which covers Hammersmith, said: “The video is a small snapshot of a wider incident that officers have been dealing with and we understand that people viewing this footage in isolation, may be concerned about the actions of the police.

“I can reassure people that the entire incident, including the officers’ body-worn video, is being reviewed by our Professionals Standards Unit and that if any findings or misconduct are identified, this will be addressed through the appropriate channels.”