why did the boy pull out a knife?

Choices:
A. the senior member didn't step in
B. he got into a heated argument with another boy
C. not enough information
D. he was angry
he got into a heated argument with another boy
“Have you ever been in a situation that was getting out of control and you were able to calm it down before it escalated further? What was the situation and what did you do or say?”
As senior members of a Boy Scout Troop, other adults and I had to instruct two younger member on how to recognize and control emotions in the context of conflict. These two guys had a history of conflicts and I knew people won’t always be present to control them. They had to grow up and be self-sufficient.
On one camping trip they yet again had another heated argument over something trivial that kept escalating. Rather than jump in, I wanted to see how they deescalate the situation on their own.
Suddenly, one of them pulls out a pocket knife and says “[insert demand here] or I’m gonna [insert some action with a knife to a person].”
The situation has clearly escalated too far. Immediately I rushed in and yelled, “STOP! DROP IT, NOW!” He immediately dropped the knife, sat down, and began crying.
What happens after that is irrelevant. Perhaps it’s due to my quiet nature and sudden outburst that produced the shock effect. But more importantly the use of straight-forward, succinct commands can control the situation because all parties involved are automatically in natural fight-flight mode where elaborate, long explanations aren’t going to be interpreted correctly by listeners for the purposes of deescalating the situation’s climax. The long talk comes when the immediate conflict is temporarily resolved.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: This incident is not a reflection on the Boy Scout of America, its spirit, or the use of such tools. The pocket knife is commonly used throughout camping trips. We have a set of rules and responsibilities set to the users so that they are used for the camping purposes. As an Eagle Scout myself, I am proud of the values promoted.