A man attempting to carjack someone in a motel parking lot had his plans foiled when the victim ran away with the keys to the car.

The attempted carjacking led to a brief standoff between the suspect and Turlock Police officers at the motel, which ultimately ended with an arrest and the recovery of a firearm, said Turlock Police spokesman Sgt. Russ Holeman.

The incident began just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday when the police department received a report of an attempted carjacking that had just occurred in the parking lot of the Travelodge at 201 W. Glenwood Ave.

The suspect, later identified as Billy Ensminger, 36, of Turlock attempted to take the vehicle by force from the victim, but was thwarted when the victim ran off with the keys to the car.

Officers arrived at the scene within minutes of the call and spotted Ensminger in the area, Holeman said.

Ensminger ran to a ground floor motel room. In the process he dropped a handgun on the ground.

After a few minutes Ensminger agreed to come out of the room and was taken into custody without further incident. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted carjacking and being a felon in possession of a weapon.