Getaway Driver in Nipsey Hussle Case Offered Police Protection

The woman who drove Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer away from the scene of the shooting is terrified she'll be the victim of a retaliation hit ... and as a key witness, police are going all out to protect her. 

According to grand jury testimony obtained by TMZ ... an LAPD detective claimed the female getaway driver -- identified only as Witness 1 in court docs -- expressed grave concern for her safety on multiple occasions. The detective stated he investigated her claims and discovered numerous legitimate threats made against the woman. 

It's no wonder the woman feared for her life ... the detective told the grand jury her license plate was making the rounds on social media shortly after the shooting. Descriptions of her physical appearance and her vehicle were also on the Internet -- all of which essentially gave vigilantes a road map to find her. 

In the same grand jury hearing, the detective said the LAPD decided it was "very important" to place the woman under their protection and possibly move her into hiding. It's unclear where she is now, or if she accepted the offer for protective custody. 

TMZ broke the story ... the woman claimed to the grand jury she was hanging out with Eric Holder, Nipsey's accused killer, on March 31 when they pulled up to the Marathon Clothing strip mall. 

She claims Holder instructed her to park and wait behind the strip mall, and then she saw him pull out a black, semi-automatic handgun before getting out of the car. Holder allegedly ran through an alley to the front of the store, and fired several shots at Nipsey and others before booking it back to the woman's car. 

It's interesting ... not only did the woman say she drove Holder to and from the scene of the crime, she also told the grand jury she and Holder were in a romantic relationship.