At the same time I do wonder if the man had not used physical force on the juvenile and allowed the juvenile continue to physical force (i.e. pushing, maybe punching, kicking, etc) and/or the rest of the group joined in with the physical force, then how would the narrative had played out? If there was a headline, then would it have been "Man beaten up by a bunch of juvenile girls at an Asheville mall" or "Man assaulted by a bunch of juvenile girls at an Asheville mall?"

It is possible mentally he had gone into defensive mode when he saw he was surrounded by them. Now the punch may have been excessive for the situation, but I suspect his lawyer will argue the punch was a defensive reaction. Since the man involved himself in the situation, then I am not sure what is the appropriate response for him after the juveniles had gotten physical with him. In this day and age it seems like any physical response, even if minor, would be spun against an adult in the court of public opinion. FWIW I remember seeing a couple fights between girls in middle school and high school. Each time a teacher had to physically grab 1 of the girls to end the fight. Honestly, I am not sure that would be deemed acceptable behavior in today's society.