TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It was a vicious attack in the upscale Hyde Park neighborhood that shook the South Tampa community.

A woman was out for an evening jog when she suddenly became the victim of a brutal beating.

The Tampa Police Department honored the attorney who rescued that woman from her attack during the quarterly awards ceremony Thursday.

“I screamed as loud as I could for help,” Taylor told News Channel 8 days after the assault in May.

While the bruises on her face have healed, she is still scarred by what happened to her on that Friday evening in Hyde Park.

“I feel like the attack robbed me of something, you know, kind of an innocence almost,” Taylor said. “My walks were so important to me.”

But she hasn’t lost her hope in humanity because of the heroic actions of the attorney who confronted her attacker.

“Even though there’s really a lot of evil in the world, there’s a lot of good in the world, too,” Taylor said.

Tampa police said a 34-year-old homeless man grabbed her ponytail, hit her in the face multiple times and pushed her to the ground.

“No one realized this type of event could happen in Hyde Park,” Charles McKeon said. “You have to be careful, watch your surroundings and look out for one another.”

McKeon carries a concealed weapon. He approached Taylor’s attacker, pulled out his gun and yelled at the man to stop.

“Eventually he was able to get him off of me and then the man lunged at him and I was able to get away,” Taylor said. “He saved me for sure.”

On Thursday afternoon, McKeon received the Tampa Police Chief’s Appreciation Award.

“I’m honored,” he said. “I’m a little embarrassed because this is something anyone would have done.”

Taylor told News Channel 8 there was no way she would have missed this ceremony honoring her hero.

“He says to me all the time, anyone would have done that and I said absolutely not,” Taylor said. “Not everybody would have done that. The reason I’m here today is I would celebrate him a thousand times over for what he did for me.”

McKeon’s son Dalton also stepped in to help chase the attacker away.

Shortly after that, Tampa Police arrested Esja Nodopa and charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm.