Almost stabbed in the street

Manizales is a wonderful little city in the mountains of coffee country with no reputation for crime. Nevertheless, I had a knife pulled on me - a first for me! This trip has been full of firsts. A busy Friday evening, people around, cars driving by. Matt and I were walking back from the swanky supermarket located in the mall just after dark. As we strolled down the sidewalk a young man came towards us waving his arms and acting strange - I figured bad drugs. We moved to the side but he came up into our faces talking continually. I tried to push around
the guy when Matt said, "he has something in his hand!" I glanced down and saw the knife slide out of his sleeve. A wooden handle, like the cheap kitchen knives in the market, with a 5 inch blade. I started to step back as he grabbed my shirt and brought the knife up saying something trite like, "gimme all your money." I grabbed his arm and pushed away while stepping back. In a matter of seconds we were 10 feet apart and my biggest concern was that I stepped into traffic. I moved back onto the sidewalk, he snarled and we moved on.
The whole incident occupied less than a minute and we walked back to the hostel make dinner. An almost robbery at knife point . . . I was unclear what to think other than dismiss the whole event. I guess I can take some confidence in not getting robbed or stabbed that evening. In retrospect, the robber knew what he was doing. His behavior and speech distracted from the fact that he was charging for us and keeping the focus on his face, not his hands.
I have been successfully and unsuccessfully robbed in the past but never with a weapon (see post 3/19/2010 "Hay malo gente"). What if I had a weapon? Suggestions include pepper spray, a knife, a gun . . . then what? I could have blinded myself on the street with pepper spray, or got in a knife fight, or pulled a gun and shot someone. Time has a slow motion yet automated high speed quality in stressful or threatening situations. You do not think but simply act. What if I had a weapon? Would the outcome been any better for me? I think not. My best defense continues to be alert eyes, decisive action, and fast feet.