A Moultrie man who was hospitalized last week with injuries from a home-invasion robbery had no problem identifying one of his two alleged assailants: It was his former roommate, authorities said.

Police arrested the former roommate and a second man, who became the first people charged in Colquitt County under a new Georgia home invasion law that went into effect on July 1.

Sarvelio Salazar, 67, was able to identify the second man after a victim from a separate incident told police where they could locate him.

Salazar was assaulted at about 12:28 a.m. Friday inside his residence on Regency Village Drive, Moultrie Police Department reports said.

A second man who was assaulted on Monday in an apparent robbery attempt helped police locate the two suspects. They have been identified as Ruben Isidro Merino-Navarrette, 31, and Felipe Chavez, 29, both of 72 Regency Village Drive.

“The (second) victim was able to tell us where the guys were,” Moultrie Police Inv. Raul Leal said. “He told me these guys tried to rob him. He was able to identify them both.”

When Salazar got out of the hospital on Monday he identified one of his alleged attackers as his former roommate. And when shown a photo of the other man he was able to identify him as the second alleged assailant, police said.

Salazar suffered a severe injury to the cheek area of his face, Leal said.

Merino-Navarrette and Chavez were each charged Tuesday with felony home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated battery in connection with the robbery at Salazar’s residence. They were charged with aggravated assault in the robbery attempt.

The home invasion law was signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Nathan Deal. It created a separate offense defined as the act of entering a person’s residence without invitation and with the intent of committing a forcible crime such as robbery while possessing a weapon. The law is applicable when someone with permission to be inside the residence is there.

It carries a 10- to 20-year prison sentence.

Previously, law enforcement would file charges of armed robbery and burglary in cases of home invasions.