text: A Baltimore mother hailed as 'Mom of the year' for clobbering her teenage son and dragging him home from the riots admitted sheepishly on Wednesday: 'My pastor is going to kill me.' Toya Graham, a single mother-of-six, was caught on camera whacking her 16-year-old son Michael, pulling off his ski mask and chasing him down the street as rioters clashed with police, looted stores and burned down buildings and cars. The riots broke out following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray earlier this month who died of a spinal cord injury after being taken into custody by Baltimore police. Her actions have drawn praise from moms across the country along with the Baltimore police chief who said: 'I wish there were more parents out there who took charge of their kids tonight.' Miss Graham told CBS on Wednesday that she 'just lost it' when she saw Michael at Monday's riots carrying a rock and walking towards police officers. She said: 'I recognized those baggy sweatpants and we made eye contact. I was saying ''how dare you do this?''' Scroll down for video . Single mother-of-six Toya Graham spoke on Wednesday about dragging her teenage son home from the Baltimore riots, adding that when she saw the video clip, she thought: 'My pastor is going to kill me' Graham went down to where the riots were taking place after hearing schools had been let out early. She said she recognized her son's baggy sweatpants and 'lost it' Graham, a single mother-of-six, has drawn praise across the country, for getting her rioting son in check . Her son immediately lost his tough-guy swagger as his mother pulled the ski mask from his head, clipped him around the ears and yelled: ''Are you for real? Really? This is what you want to do? 'I told you I'd come down here. Didn't I? Didn't I?' She poignantly added: 'That's my only son and at the end of the day, I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray. I cant imagine what Freddie Gray's mother is going through. I don't want to lose my son to the streets. 'Is he a perfect boy? No he's not. But he's mine.' And despite her concerns about what her pastor would think, he had nothing but praise for the mother of six on Wednesday. Pastor Jamal Bryant told Inside Edition that Toya was 'Mom of the Century'. She said: 'I wish all of the parents of Baltimore would take on her spirit and go pull your children out of the streets.' Miss Graham's actions saw her grabbing headlines across the U.S. as Baltimore erupted into a second night of riots on Tuesday. She was even trending on Twitter with the hashtag, #momoftheyear, as social media users asked how to send her gifts ahead of Mother's Day. However Graham said on Wednesday: 'I don't feel like a hero. My intention was to get my son and have him be safe. I knew the whole thing was not safe.' She said the night before the riots, her son told her that a lot of high school students were planing to meet up at Mondawmin Mall on Monday afternoon, the day of Freddie Gray's funeral. She warned him not to go to the mall. The mom was at a doctor's appointment with her eldest daughter the next day when she heard that schools had been let out early and people were gathering at the mall, which is also a main transportation hub in the area. She left the doctor's office immediately to go find her son. Graham told CBS: 'There was a mass of police and helicopters. I ran over to the police and asked ''where are the children that have to take this bus route?'' They were throwing bricks at the police.' She recognized her son even though he was wearing a black ski mask over much of his face. He was also carrying a rock. When he saw her coming, his first instinct was to run away. She said: 'He knew he was in trouble. At that point, I just lost it. I was shocked, I was angry, because you never want to see your child out there doing that.' Mother and son got home and turned on the TV so they could continue to watch coverage of the riots. Michael Graham pictured on Facebook with his mom and a younger family member. The mom said her teenage son has been in trouble before 'but knows right from wrong' As they watched what was happening outside their home, Michael's Facebook feed began to fill up with people who had seen the video of his mom reeling him in. Many people wrote that Michael shouldn't be mad at his mom, but rather 'give her a hug'. Graham explained her fury at seeing her son caught up in police violence also came from a place of deep worry as a parent. She said: 'A lot of his friends have been killed. I just want to keep him in the house, but that's not really going to work. 'He's been in trouble before. He knows right from wrong but he's just like other teens, he doesn't have the perfect relationship with the police in Baltimore.' However, the mother said that none of this excused violence towards the police officers. 'You will not be throwing rocks and stones at police officers. Whose to say they don't have to come and protect me from something?' she added. However Graham, who is also a grandmother, admitted that she understood some of the frustration being felt towards the police department in her Baltimore community. At some point, I understand the frustration that our community is having,' she said. 'We haven't received any information on what happened to this young guy [Freddie Gray]. From looking at it from the news point of view, it seemed like he was harmed. 'And if he hadn't been harmed, we, the people of Baltimore city, we feel like we have the right to know.' According to Toya Graham's Facebook profile, she went to high school about ten minutes away from where Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12. In an Instagram video from two months ago, Michael posed in a very similar outfit with face mask and dark clothing to what he was wearing on Monday . The Baltimore native was described as an assistant manager at an alcohol and drug treatment center that offered inpatient and outpatient treatment as well as manages crisis and halfway housing. However on Wednesday, she told CBS that she had recently lost a job and had moved home. She said that her son had witnessed her have a tough time. 'He sees me struggle,' she said. 'It's just me and my children. I don't go out. The only thing I do is church.' Graham laughed when she said the first thing that ran through her head when she saw herself on TV, was 'my pastor is going to have a fit!' Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts mentioned Graham's heroics when he spoke at a press conference shortly before midnight on Monday. Batts said: 'In one scene you had a mother who grabbed a child who had a hood on his head and started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed. 'I wish there were more parents out there who took charge of their kids tonight.' He later added: 'Take control of your kids. This is our city, let's make a difference.' Graham, who said she sometimes has to 'shield' her son from the violence outside her home, has seen what can happen on the streets of Baltimore first-hand. In August of 2014, she was at her home when at least three shots were fired and a man was killed outside on the street on her block in the middle of the night. The concerned mother checked on her children before heading outside to try to help the victim. The man died before he could be taken to the hospital and Graham was so shaken, she couldn't even go to work the next day, according to ABC 2. She said at the time: 'Soon we're not even going to be able to walk out of our doors. That was somebody's child, and it's real overwhelming that somebody takes somebody's life like that and he was just left there.' Toya Graham (pictured left in 2014) was at her Baltimore home when at least three shots were fired and a man was killed on the street. Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts (right) praised her during a press conference on Monday . One woman said: 'Baltimore doesn't need the National Guard - they need more parents like this one!' The encounter between mother and son on the Baltimore street was captured by WMAR. The video did not fly under the radar on social media either and many Twitter users began re-posting it and saying the woman was the 'Mom of the Year'. After Graham was identified on Tuesday, even more people began offering up their congratulation and appreciation for what she had done. One person wrote: 'The mother of the year is Toya Graham - she is now my hero - I love her - she is awesome - she parents - LOVE HER.' Someone else said: '#Toyagraham my respect to the mother who tried to stop her son from joining the #baltimoreriotss. As I often say 'off with his hoodie'' Another Twitter user added: 'Mother's Day is May 10th, someone better do something for Toya Graham!' Blows rained down on the son's head as he struggled to get away while a large crowd looked on . One Twitter user said: 'Mother's Day is May 10th, someone better do something for Toya Graham'
target: Toya Graham, a single mother-of-six, said she 'just lost it' when she saw her 16-year-old son Michael at Monday's riots carrying a rock .
  She said of her son: 'We made eye contact. I was saying ''how dare you do this?'''
  She traveled to New York for interviews on Wednesday after being applauded by moms across the US and the Baltimore police chief .
  Her pastor called her 'Mom of the century' on Wednesday for her actions .