A 78-year-old Kittanning man faces aggravated assault charges after he opened fire on two government employees who tried to clean up his property today, chasing them down a hill as he tried to fire more rounds, state police said.

The man, whose name has not been released, will be arraigned after his evaluation at ACMH Hospital.

Bryon Allen Miller, 40, of Houston, Pa., a Department of Environmental Protection employee, and Edward Eric Shubert, 32, of Templeton, who works for Rayburn Township, went to the man's home about 11 a.m., according to state police. The man agreed to have the DEP clean up his property after the agency took the man to court, police said.

When the pair arrived, the man pointed a gun at them, then fired a round at them and chased them down a hill, attempting to fire additional rounds. Four attempted rounds misfired, police said.

The workers were unhurt.

Mr. Miller declined to talk about the incident, and DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphreys could not be reached for comment.