Three girls were robbed at knifepoint in broad daylight over the weekend while walking on the trail behind the Klahanie QFC.

King County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the robbery, which occurred outside the city limits of Sammamish and Issaquah.

John Morgan, the father of one of the girls, said it was the first time the three friends had walked from the Trossachs neighborhood to the nearby grocery store — on other days they have ridden bikes there to eat lunch or get a Bubble Tea together.

Since they planned to be walking, Morgan said he was actually less worried than usual about the trek because the girls would be out of the way of traffic on the trail.

The robbery occurred at about 2 p.m. on July 26, Sheriff’s Spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.

According to Morgan, the girls were walking on the trail and had just passed several other kids on bikes. The suspect was walking along slowly in the same direction as the girls, and as they approached him, he turned quickly.

“He was right in their face, and he pulled out what they described as a kitchen knife and waved it in their face and asked for their money,” Morgan said.

The suspect got $27 from Morgan’s daughter, took it and ran westbound on the power line trail, Urquhart said. The girls described the suspect as a Hispanic man between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10, of medium build. He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt with the hood tied tightly around his face, sunglasses and black sweatpants, according to the police report.

The victims ran quickly to QFC, where employees called 911.

Morgan, whose family has lived on the Plateau for about 25 years, said the girls aren’t looking to go out again anytime soon, but that he may alter the rules a bit on what he allows his daughter to do.

“I think we’ll probably keep it a little closer to home,” he said.

Just a few moments before the robbery, the girls had been sharing stories about the scariest thing that had ever happened to them, Morgan said. Now, a new scary moment tops that list.

Urquhart said this incident is out of the ordinary compared to anything the sheriff’s office has responded to there.

“This is very unusual,” Urquhart said. “The ages are unusual, the fact that it was the middle of the day. We’re going to be watching for anything suspicious.”

Anyone with possible information about the case may call the Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.