Good for you ST. Not what I would have done but I wasn't there and you were. I think you made some tactical mistakes but that's what happens in the real world, and anybody can make them regardless of their training . Big props for stepping up and helping someone.

Cops do not like civilians to get involved in any crime. IME For all they see most cops are clueless to how a civilian should protect themselves, and I'll be darn if I depend on them when I see trouble. I'm not against cops at all but I do know that during a crime time matters.

If he was to intervne at all, the best thing to do is hose them down with pepper spray and call the cops. forget the movie hero stuff, it's tooo dangerous.
RD, in training have you ever taken a face full of commercial pepper spray while being the attacker? You might change your mind on it's value. Wind, rain, clothing and many other factors can reduce the effectiveness of PS.