Don’t give them any chance to collect anything from a shop or the side of the road.
My rule for this is, if I see them running for reinforcments/weapons, they are restrained immediately. When I say restrain, I mean restrain…No hitting, kicking or the like. Get the guy talking, my first question is “Why are you so angry, it’s no big deal” or “Are you ok?” Give the guy a little while to calm down and realize he’s in an untenable situation…
Taking the cell phone is standard operating procedure here. It prevents the calling of reinforcements…
Also remember that by doing nothing you are taking the moral high-ground, but putting yourself at risk from a hyped-up scooteroid that is assuming you won’t respond…Hence the knife waving and postulating.
You handled it as best you could and walked away unharmed…The first time it happened to me, I took a filed off screwdriver right through the earlobe. This was from someone in the crowd who snuck up behind me during a heated verbal exchange with a taxi driver who had just run over my foot.
Once your opponent is armed it’s a whole new ball game…I feel much safer not letting it get to that point…Restrain and talk. Taking the wind out of their sails early gives both of you a chance to calm down and have a discussion of events.
Another option would be to simply follow him on his weapon quest and make your move while he’s reaching for something. If the cell phone comes out…Either take it or run like hell.
If you are not comfortable with this, then the best course of action might be to simply ignore assholes like this in the future. I’m doing my best to follow this course of action…I’m getting too old to wrestle around in the street…