A Hinesville man reportedly was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night by two men who stopped him on Deerwood Drive, claiming they needed a ride.
According to an incident report filed by Hinesville Police Department Patrolman Eric Sink, a 50-year-old man told police he was driving in the 200 block of Deerwood Drive when two men stepped in front of his vehicle and asked him for a ride to a house in the Eagles Landing subdivision.
The driver, who agreed to the pedestrians’ request, later told officers that the man sitting in his backseat asked to borrow his cellphone.  
The pair then changed their destination and asked the driver to take them to an address in the 1100 block of Ricade Drive.
When the driver stopped the car, the man in the front seat reportedly brandished a handgun and told the driver to hand over his wallet. The driver told the man he doesn’t carry a wallet and handed the gunman an undisclosed amount of cash.  As the men exited the vehicle, the suspect in the backseat reportedly slapped the driver in the back of the head.
The victim told police that after the men got out of his car, he drove around the area in an attempt to find them and retrieve his cellphone, which was taken during the robbery.
He found the suspects walking near Debbie Drive, but when the men spotted him, according to the report, they fled into the wood line.
The victim told police he returned to his Hinesville home and called 911.
Police scoured the area, and Officer Jimmel Hargrove reported seeing two men who fit the description of the suspects walking on Live Oak Drive. Hargrove detained the men until backup arrived.  
The victim gave his statement and the box his cellphone came in to Senior Patrol Officer Jeffery Haiungs, who took the phone box to the location where the suspects were detained. The serial number on the box matched the number on the cellphone found in one of the suspect’s possession. Both men were arrested and charged with armed robbery. The suspects later were identified as Nathaniel Pearce, 17, and Corey Mayes, 18.
The handgun allegedly used during the robbery was not found. Officers searched the area where the suspects were arrested, but could not find it.