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 beating was caught on 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, beat me to death," Pinnock said.

Pinnock, 51, was released from the hospital last week after several weeks of treatment for head injuries and now slurs her speech, Harper said.