Was this correct action to be taken or not?

During a recent visit to Paris Lady Agatha and myself were tottering down the Rue de Chaillot towards the Avenue Marceau, when we came to what unfolded was a siege at the Church of St. Pierre de Chaillot by 25 Muslim extremists and a large detachment of Gendarmes and Police National. As the gun battle progressed a policeman was seen to run from the radio vehicle to the commander of the detachment. On being handed a slip of paper by the courier, the commander was seen to stagger clutching his heart. He screamed to his men to abandon the fight and proceed to the vehicles post haste. The vehicles took off at a fearsome speed down the Rue Bizet down to the Rue Goethe and right into the Rue Rochambeau. The drove like maniacs into the Place Admiral de Gre and left into Rue de Lubeck. 200 metres down the road they screamed to a halt outside the Caf� Marcelle where upon the troops disembarked. We cycled as fast as our little legs would carry us and when we arrived it was a scene of desolation, patrons of the Caf� were being treated for shock and were being transferred to a fleet of Ambulances, some, alas, were too shocked to be moved and required on the spot treatment by the Samu and the Pompiers. The Caf� owner was inconsolable, he was weeping and throwing his hands into the air wailing that his life was finished, there was nothing left for him to live for, a priest was summoned from the control vehicle as giving the last rights to the proprietor was mentioned several times. On the floor was a waiter being held down by 4 large men, the commander with tears in his eyes gave the order and 6 of the biggest and cruellest Gendarmes ran over to the waiter and started beating him with their sticks. The Commander, so overwhelmed with emotion tried to wrestle his side arm from its holster for he fully intended to shoot the waiter. Eventually the Commander, with tears running down his cheeks calmed down. A few minutes later I heard to full sordid details of the crime. The waiter, it transpired had been in an argument with the proprietor over a wage claim and the proprietor refused to talk to him, as a way of revenge the waiter served his tables but refused to put the basket of bread on the table, not only that be he served a full bodied Bordeaux Rouge with the fish course. I have since found out that the proprietor hanged himself in shame and the Caf� has now closed. Was this a correct course of action for either the waiter or the Commander or the proprietor.