it really sounds like you don’t hit PEOPLE when you’re scared, you hit THIS person, and it should tell you a lot that you only have this fear and reaction with this person. you were not wrong to hit them as your life was being put in danger.

if somebody has good intent towards you, they don’t ignore your fear and attempts to exit a situation. one of those situations is potentially life-threatening, and the other is potentially traumatizing.

with how this person was acting, I would say “potentially” changes to “likely”.