Mike Lauterborn

A Girl Scout cookie stand outside a Safeway in Union City became a crime scene when a 12-year-old girl and her mother were robbed at gunpoint, officials said Thursday.

At first, the robber, described as a male teenager, appeared to be just another customer approaching the Girl Scout’s cookie booth about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday — but then he returned with a handgun, demanded cash from the girl and her mother, and fled, police say.