That person also has a friend who is by their side. But I know what that's like. I have never committed a crime, but I have been in adverse situations where a risk I took resulted in unwanted public consequences. Yet, my real friends gathered by my side and took the time to let me know they were there for me. In a way, being involved in such events can help to signal the depth of friendship you have with others.
True friendship has some other qualities as well.
When I was 12, a small group of my friends and I were out walking down a heavily tree-lined street pretty late at night. A car filled with older, tough looking kids pulled over and the passenger riding shotgun leaned out the window. We all froze. He asked us for directions to a certain street. I told him how to get there, and they drove off.