Two men attempted to rob an elderly man at his home on Jesse Jewell Parkway around 9 p.m. Thursday.
Howard Mahaffey, 78, heard a knock on his door and when he opened it, two unarmed black males asked him for cigarettes.
When Mahaffey turned around, the men entered the apartment and one man restrained Mahaffey while the other took money from his pockets, according to Lt. Brian Kelly of the Gainesville Police.
When Mahaffey yelled for help, neighbors came and were able to contain one of the men, identified as Terry Bernard Randolph, 42, of Gainesville until police arrived. The other man, identified as Danny Pye, 49, also of Gainesville, fled, but was later arrested at his residence on Hazel Street. Both suspects were charged with robbery and burglary.
No one was injured. It is unclear whether or not the men knew each other, Kelly said.