LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Last Sunday, Karol Ma da Nesht drove a U-Haul truck into the middle of anti-Iranian regime protests at the Westwood Federal Building.

On Friday, Ma da Nesht told Eyewitness News it was a big misunderstanding.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he said. “The people who supported me at the LAPD tried to carve a clear path. I came to be the voice of Iran from inside Iran, not the one Americans see on TV.”

AIR7 captured exclusive video of Ma Da Nesht being dragged out of the U-Haul by police. He was arrested for reckless driving, which is a misdemeanor. The demonstrators fought with Mr. Ma da Nesht to stop the truck.

“The majority of the demonstrators supported me,” Ma da Nesht said. “Only a few pro-Shahs attacked me, but they did not agree.”

But the video tells a different story, with demonstrators believing that Ma da Nesht was targeting them based on political messages such as “No Shah” posted on his U-Haul.

“He made a terrible decision to drive his unlicensed truck into the crowd and beat people up,” protester Sean Zarabi said. “If you have something to say, come with something in your hand, come protest, protest. Come have a debate. But running someone over with a truck is a terrible thing. It’s an act of terrorism, and it doesn’t help.”

Protests against the Iranian regime have continued for nearly three weeks, sparking a crackdown by security forces.

The demonstrations began against rising inflation and the devaluation of the country’s currency.

The US-based Human Rights Defenders News Agency said at least 3,000 people had been killed and more than 18,000 arrested.

On the government side, 153 members of the security forces were killed.

ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers.

“The people inside Iran are powerless under economic pressure,” Zarabi said. “There is no freedom. No one can make their voice heard. We are trying to be a voice for them here abroad and let the whole world know what is happening inside the country.”