La Joya police are on the lookout for a San Juan man accused of attempted carjacking and evading law enforcement.

Police say 19-year-old Juan Carlos Perez was pulled over right across the La Joya Police Department around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday.

An officer detected a strong odor of marijuana and asked for backup.

Police say once the drugs were located, Perez took off running across the highway to the Stars Drive-In and even attempted to get into a woman’s vehicle, but was unsuccessful.

Despite assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Guard, Perez got away by fleeing into that area’s neighborhood.

Police are asking that the victim of the attempted car theft to reach out. 

"She probably got scared, and that’s probably why she left," said Sgt. Manuel Casas, a spokesperson for the La Joya Police Department. "Maybe she didn’t see that there was a police officer chasing him. But I just want — if that person is listening, to privately just come forward, to give us a call, because we would really want to talk to that person, because that person is a victim.”

Police urges anyone with information about Perez's whereabouts to call the La Joya Police Department at 956-585-4855.