I was discussing this with my shooting buddy. On range days and gun show days, we spend what amounts to a long day together out and going to different places. Certainly to restaurants, gas stations and retail stores.
If this had happened to either one of us, the other one of us would have reacted with our handgun. And while it is simply NOT possible to "plan" a situation and each situation evolves however it evolves, if my buddy is the one being tackled and I am the armed friend witnessing this happening, I've got a real situation on my hand right from the get-go, but it turns a page IF/WHEN idiot do-gooder citizen guy makes the decision to reach for that holstered handgun on my friend.
In fact, if the citizen guy is being charged with assault and battery, should a firearm charge be tacked on top if that gun came out of the holster by anyone other than it's owner or a sworn LEO?
Easy to sit around after the fact and find out the background and "intentions" of do-gooder bystander guy. But when someone is tackled and placed in to a choke-hold and a loaded handgun is present, there are only seconds to predict what may or may happen next.
If the legal and licensed 62-yr old guy in this story had been with -HIS- best shooting buddy at the Wal-Mart, the do-gooder idiot might be leaking from holes and this would not play well for licensed gun folks in the lamestream media.