Self defense or brutality?

The other day i was at a gas station getting a soda. It was a simple normal night and i hadnt done anything really to piss anyone off prior to this. Through the door came a person (I had never seen) who looked incrediblt angry. I walked out of the store and thought nothing of it. While i was getting into my car the man stopped me and started yelling. I told him i had never seen him before and he had the wrong guy. HE began to swing his fist at me and thanks to rigorous training i was able to doge them easily. He started to tire out and i figured i would just punch him once and end it. I Didnt worry until he pulled out a switchblade and stareted st stab at me with it. I took action and kicked him against my car. Then slammed my door on to his arm to make hime drop the knife. I compound fractured his arm and he fell to the ground in pain. The police came and arrested him and realised he was high and that i was well within my rights to self defense. I feel bad though because i crippled him.the break was severe and i felt that i could have restrained him in a different way. Am i wrong for doing what i did? or am i well within my rights?

That's pretty much in your favor, though it is too bad about his arm. In situations like that you really don't know what the hell the other guy will do, especially in a state like that. For all you knew he might have had a gun, luckily he only had a knife. I'd say you did the best you could have hoped to do, and I'm glad nothing worse came out of it.

thanks man. i needed some encouragment!

It's easy to analyze it after the fact and say, "You know, maybe I should have been more gentle," but had you tried something else, you might have been picking your entrails up off the ground. In a fight against an able-bodied person who's wielding a knife, I feel breaking their arm is justified. If they were a small child, an elderly person, an unarmed person, or something else then it might have been extreme. Going just on the details you gave, it seems a reasonable response. Also, when you're dealing with someone on drugs, they don't feel pain in a normal way and don't necessarily respond to less extreme tactics. If the police didn't feel you went overboard, don't worry about it.

I am of the opinion that if someone randomly attacks you, you should either get away and call the authorities or incapacitate the individual. Assuming this event went down as you say, then I think your response was maybe even a bit kind, but you maybe should've considered the first option a little more. Getting away is smart if you can do it without any added risk. I think it's also smart to assume the worst, that someone randomly attacking you is a little off and would be capable of anything. If there is a next time I would recommend you act quicker with one of the two options.