ABOVE: Video of California Highway Patrol officer Daniel L. Andrew repeatedly punching Marlene Pinnock on the side of a Los Angeles freeway (July 4). Warning: Video may be disturbing to some viewers.

LOS ANGELES – Marlene Pinnock said she thought she was going to die as a California Highway Patrol officer straddled her, repeatedly punching her head, on the side of a Los Angeles freeway.

During an hour-long interview with The Associated Press on Sunday – her first public comments since the July 1 incident was caught on now-viral video by a passing driver – Pinnock spoke haltingly or in a whisper, occasionally putting her hands to her temples and grimacing.

Her attorney Caree Harper frequently interrupted her and limited her responses to a reporter’s questions.

“He grabbed me, he threw me down, he started beating me, he beat me. I felt like he was trying to kill me…