In defense of the son who left to get help, the story does not say what kind of weapon the man had. If it was a gun it was the smart thing to do. An unarmed man doesn't stand much of a chance against one that is armed. The prudent thing to have done would have been to dial 911, grab something to defend yourself with and then run over to Mom's house. However, in the heat of the moment who knows what you would have done.