Longmont High School and Longmont United Hospital were placed on alert Wednesday afternoon due to a search for a carjacking suspect.

KUSA — Boulder police are looking for a man who they say stole a woman's car at gunpoint in the parking lot of a popular shopping center, crashed shortly after he was found by police, and then ran away -- placing a nearby school and hospital on alert.

The initial carjacking occurred shortly before noon on Wednesday at the Twenty Ninth Street outdoor mall at 1710 29th St., according to a news release from the Boulder Police Department.

Police said the victim pulled into a parking lot when she saw a man tap on her window, point a gun at her, and demand she get out of her car.

The perpetrator then hopped into the car and drove off. Later, Boulder County Sheriff's Office deputies spotted the stolen vehicle near 3rd Avenue and Hover Street in Longmont, and tried to pull over the driver, who eluded them, according to Boulder police.

Police said the suspect made it to 9th Avenue and Hover Street before crashing into another vehicle and running away. The person in that car was seen by medical personnel but cleared without injuries, according to Boulder police.

Authorities from local agencies, meanwhile, scoured the area for the suspect, but did not find him. This included an aerial search involving a drone.

Nearby Longmont High School was placed on lockout during the search, and Longmont United Hospital was placed on lockdown -- which meant no one could enter the building anywhere but through the emergency room.

The suspect is described as a thin Hispanic man in his late 20s who is 5'10" with a slim, athletic build and a small amount of facial hair.

At the time of the carjacking, police said he was wearing a black down jacket with a gray hoodie underneath and dark jeans.