Thieves steal dozens of laptops, equipment from Antioch nonprofit tutoring center

A nonprofit tutoring center in Contra Costa County is raising funds after thieves broke in and stole thousands of dollars of laptops and other electronic gear.

RRTH Learning Center and RR Ministries said that between 4 p.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. Friday their facilities at 512 W. 2nd Street in Antioch were broken into, with 40 donated Chromebooks, staff's personal laptops, livestream equipment, and other devices stolen. In a Facebook post, the nonprofit said the devices were essential for the hundreds of students and families that rely on the services it provides each year. 

RRTH's executive director said that he was shocked by the robbery after six years without incident at their facility.

"It just breaks my heart man," said Sandro Trujillo. "That someone would actually have the heart to do something like that knowing that we're a nonprofit."

Though he expressed that he didn't want to jump to conclusions, Trujillo said he worries the nonprofit was specifically targeted. He added that the estimated value of everything lost was $18,000.

There were also attempts to access their financial and communication platforms after the robbery - including Venmo, PayPal, email, and other banking accounts, the center said.

The Antioch Police Department has not yet responded to a CBS News Bay Area request for information about the incident.

The center provides the Chromebooks to students free of cost. Aside from tutoring, the nonprofit also supports the Antioch community with youth career readiness programs, homework support services, reading intervention activities, courses for parents, and other educational workshops.

The nonprofit is set to host a fundraising event on Sunday, June 28, at 2 p.m., where it will be selling tacos, drinks, and raffle tickets. The center said it hopes to make enough money to replace the lost equipment before their summer programs begin - on July 1.

Anyone who saw suspicious activity near their learning center between Thursday and Friday, or sees any attempts to sell large amounts of Chromebooks were asked to report it to authorities.