A pair of men who were attacking another man at a homeless camp in south Athens Monday evening were chased off when the victim's girlfriend brandished a pistol, Athens-Clarke County police said.

The 54-year-old victim and the woman were having dinner at the campsite under the Athens Perimeter overpass at South Milledge Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. when the two men entered the camp and asked for some change, police said.

When the victim said he had no money, the suspects kicked and punched him, according to police. One of the attackers swung a stick at the head of the victim, who was able to block it with his arm.

That's when the victim's girlfriend reached in her purse and pulled out a 9mm pistol to scare off the attackers, police said, but not before one of them snatched a cellphone that was on a table.

The woman went to a relative's house where she borrowed a car in order to drive the victim to Athens Regional Medical Center.

One suspect was described as a white male in his mid 40s, about 5-foot-4 and short brown hair and gray goatee. Police said he wore a camouflage jump suit and black boots.

The second suspect was described as a black male in his mid 20s, about 5-foot-8, with short hair and possibly a mustache. He wore a skullcap, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white Nikes.