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My question is if the police been called or witnessed the episode could he have been charged with a crime since he felt threatened and he did not point the gun or threaten them but only made them aware he was armed.
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It all depends on how well one is able to articulate and justify ones' actions in accordance with state law imo.
Criminal predators try to hide their intent in order to gain surprise, increase their chance of success, and to maintain plausible deniability in the event they are compromised before they commit their act.
More often than not, their hostile intent is communicated through non-verbal physical cues that can be identified by alert individuals. Facial expressions, posture, eye cues, the manner of walk, the speed of their walk, and how they position themselves in relation to intended victims can all be signs of imminent hostile intent. LEO's know this, as they see it every day on the streets, and the good ones become quite adept at reading non-verbal cues.
IMO, as long as you can articulate the behaviors that lead you to believe you were under an imminent threat of attack, preparing a lawful firearm in a non-threatening way shouldn't be an issue, and by doing so, you stand a good chance of stopping an attack before it even begins, without firing a shot.
Presentation of a firearm in a non-threatening manner is the potential victims' form of non-verbal communication to the criminal, and if they are smart, they'll get the message and choose another victim.