Authorities search for armed man after attempted carjacking near Hillsborough

Irwin Martinez called 911 shortly after 11:30 a.m. to report the attempted carjacking outside his home on Linnet Drive, a cul-de-sac near the intersection of Davis Drive and Ode Turner Road, south of Hillsborough.

Martinez told authorities that he was loading trash into the bed of his Toyota Tundra when a young man walked up and demanded the keys to the pickup. When Martinez refused, the young man then pulled out a gun and fired a shot through the back window of the truck, he said.

Martinez, who wasn't hurt in the encounter, said he ran to a neighbor's house for help, and the gunman disappeared.

A deputy attempted to follow the gunman’s route using a K9, but the track disappeared about a half-mile down Davis Drive, authorities said, adding that the gunman may have gotten a ride from an accomplice.

Deputies also used a drone to survey the area.

"This type of crime is always scary and always dangerous, but this was in broad daylight, indicating a boldness on the part of the perpetrator that concerns us greatly," Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a statement. "If you see something that looks out of place, trust your instincts and call 911."

Martinez said he's lived in the area for 10 years and said he's never had any problems.

Anyone who saw a man in white shorts with a white and black shirt walking or running in the area around noon or getting into a car off Davis Drive is asked to call Investigator Dylan Hendricks of the Orange County Sheriff's Office at 919-245-2051.