Authorities say the man was walking home Sunday after getting off the bus and was jumped as he tried to open the door to his house. The Savannah Morning News reports he tried to fight back and was thrown to the ground.
The suspect grabbed the man's wallet, which held $61 and his identification card, and then ran off.
Lt. Racine Chaney, who is with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police department, says most crimes are senseless but called the robbery particularly reprehensible.
The elderly man was taken to an emergency room for minor cuts and bruises on his face and hand and pain on the right side of his body.