WARNER ROBINS -- A convenience store owner was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint late Thursday outside his Bergermont Court home in Houston County.

Houston County Sheriff’s Capt. Jon Holland said the store owner may have been watched by someone who knew his habits or followed him home. The home is located in a subdivision off Lake Joy Road.

Sgt. Slate Simons, the lead investigator on the case, said he’s hopeful someone in the neighborhood may have seen a suspicious person or vehicle in the area.

At 11:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 200-block of Bergermont Court in reference to the armed robbery.

Ghanshyam Patel, 42, told deputies he had arrived home after closing his business, Freedom Fuels, 1236 Watson Blvd., and was getting out of his vehicle when a man stepped out from behind bushes near his driveway, a sheriff’s office news release stated.

The man, armed with a handgun, ran at Patel and demanded money. Patel initially resisted, and the man struck him in the head with a small black handgun, the release stated. The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash after a brief struggle.

The suspect was described from age 17 to 21, standing 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 to 180 pounds, the release stated. The suspect was wearing a black beanie cap, black jacket and black pants.

Patel, who was treated at the scene by responding emergency personnel, suffered minor superficial injuries, Simons said.

Anyone with information concerning the incident is encouraged to call Simons at (478) 542-2080 or (478) 542-2085.

To contract writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559.