The guy owns a restaurant, which obviously has a kitchen with many tools that could be used as a weapon. The fact that he confronted the thief with masala and a broom, instead of a meat cleaver and a pot of hot grease shows that his intention was just to deter the thief from stealing his belonging. Did the thief gets what he deserve--masala to the face? Yes!
In the eye of the law, anything could be a weapon. Even a peanut could be a weapon. However, we need to take things into considerations. The law serve a purpose, and that purpose is ultimately justice. If the law is outdated, and is no longer serving its purpose, then it need to be amended to what is just, so that it would prevent innocent people from being charged, and to stabilize the capital system.