'I call him my hero': woman says man seen in viral images 'bear-hugging' her at a protest in LA saved her life

On Thursday, Los Angeles police said they were investigating a possible hate crime during a “Stop the Steal” rally Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles, the same day rioters broke into the US Capitol during the Electoral College vote certification.

During the rally, a photo was taken of a black woman being grabbed from behind by a white man and surrounded by a group of people holding flags and wearing Trump hats at the Los Angeles rally. The photos were went viral on social media and show the woman being held in a bear hug from behind while a person who is out of frame holds a canister of what appears to be pepper spray near her eyes.

The woman, 25-year-old Berlinda, who asked that her last name not be used, told NBCLA "that a group numbering about 40 began following her after she flipped them off." She said people were shoving her, calling her the n-word and "asking me who I voted for.''

But the man who was vilified as an attacker, was actually her rescuer.

"That guy, I call him my hero," Berlinda told NBCLA. "That guy picked me up, was whispering in my ear, telling me, 'Keep going. You're OK. I got you, I have your phone. You're OK, I'm going to get you out of here. These people are trying to kill you.'"

In video of the rally, the man can be heard telling the crowd to back up. In a statement Thursday night, Los Angeles police said Berlinda spoke with investigators and that the man who bear-hugged her was not an aggressor as social media posts claimed. According to police, he carried her away from the hostile crowd.

However, the damage to the man’s reputation was already done. In response to the outrage on social media including from Glee actress Jane Lynch, the man was identified as an employee of a local Toyota dealership.

Toyota Tweeted: " The actions in these photos are inconsistent with Toyota’s guiding principle of Respect for People. We do not condone this conduct. While Toyota dealerships are independently owned and operated entities, we can confirm this person is no longer employed by any Toyota dealership.''

Berlinda told NBCLA that she called the company Thursday to explain what had really happened. A GoFundMe page created for Berlinda by a Los Angeles resident had raised more than $85,000 as of Saturday night.

According to NBCLA, during the protest downtown, which began about 9 a.m. Wednesday, many held flags and carried signs reading "Stop the Steal.'' Members of the group stood along Spring Street while others circled the area in their vehicles. She said several people told her to take her face mask off.

The LAPD declared the event an unlawful assembly, and said several fights broke out during the day as counter-protesters clashed with Trump supporters.

The LAPD said they are "continuing to conduct a thorough investigation, and we encourage any witnesses or those with information on the suspect(s) to contact Central Area Detectives. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Central Bureau Detectives at 213-833-3750."