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On 06/12/17 at approximately 12:30 am, Culver City Police Officers responded to a radio call of a burglary alarm at Bevmo, located at 5634 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City.

Upon arrival, Officers learned that the front window had been smashed, and a likely burglary had occurred.

Additional officers arrived at the scene, and a lengthy pursuit occurred involving multiple CCPD Officers and the suspect vehicle (Dodge minivan; rental vehicle) covering approximately seventeen miles throughout West Los Angeles into LAPD jurisdiction. Three suspects ran from the vehicle following the pursuit, and all three suspects were eventually arrested near the area where the pursuit ended.

One cell phone was recovered from one of the suspects, who helped Investigators identify additional suspects phone numbers involved in the Culver City crime and other burglaries. CCPD Investigators learned that this “crew” of suspects was likely responsible for dozens of burglaries involving Bevmo locations all over the state of California.

Having used CellHawk for the past couple years, CCPD Investigators obtained warrants for more than ten different phone numbers; all of which were believed to be possible conspirators involved in the ongoing burglaries involving Bevmo locations dating back to late 2015. Once phone records were obtained and input into CellHawk, CCPD Investigators were able to confirm the whereabouts of at least one or more of the involved conspirators as having tower hits at or near sixty-four (64) burglaries within seven different states.

“Without the cell phone record data, and the user-friendly platform CellHawk provides, it goes without saying that virtually all of these burglaries would have remained unsolved without CellHawk and its capabilities.”

– Investigator Ryan Thompson, Culver City PD

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BARTONVILLE, TX, October 25, 2019— It’s been nearly a year since one of the deadliest and most destructive fires in modern history hit the United States. The California Camp Fire raged on for 17 days and covered almost 240 sq miles, causing people to flee their homes, and over 1,000 people went missing in the first week. Knowing traditional missing persons investigative techniques would take too long, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Hawk Analytics to pull cellular tower records from four major companies, resulting in over 1 million records that needed processing. This unconventional method would prove to beneficial in reuniting victims with their families.

CEO & Founder of Hawk Analytics, Mike Melson, was personally connected to the disaster. His parents, who lived in Paradise, CA, the hardest-hit community, called to tell him they got out of the fire’s path and were safe. Shocked about the news of the fire and grateful for this family’s safety, he knew others were not so lucky, so he immediately got involved in helping. Mike said, “Hawk Analytics has always been about ‘doing the right thing,’ and we’re always willing to help and make a difference.”

Investigators from Butte County Sheriff’s Office and Hawk Analytics wasted no time getting started finding missing people. Their goal was to find cellular phone numbers of the missing people, find anyone they had communicated with during the fire, and confirm they had gotten out of the fire area safely. Getting this information was a monumental task in coordination with various cellphone companies, and little by little, the information started to pay off.

Using CellHawk, software designed by Hawk Analytics to interpret cellular records, and utilizing special techniques used by both partners, over 3,000 missing people were located and reunited with their loved ones thanks to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and a little help from Hawk Analytics.

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On January 25, 2016, Michael Phillips was shot and killed in his home in Jonesboro, Georgia.  Matthew Simonds, a detective with the Clayton County Police Department, was assigned the case.  He and his team responded to the scene. There they found Mr. Phillip’s deceased from multiple gunshot injuries.

Multiple interviews took place the days following the homicide where Detective Simonds and his team learned this was the result of a drug deal gone bad.

Witnesses told the detective that a man by the name of “Capone” introduced Mr. Phillips to two other men who wanted to purchase marijuana. They also told investigators that Mr. Phillips was suspicious of the arrangement and called off the deal. However, Capone was seen talking to Mr. Phillips later and reassured him that he vouched for the men’s credibility.

The next day Capone and the same two men arrived at Mr. Phillips house. Witnesses, who were also there, told Detective Simonds that Mr. Phillips, “Capone,” and the two men went into the house supposedly to continue the drug deal from the night prior. They said a short time later they heard several gunshots from within Mr. Phillips home.

A man quickly exited the house carrying a handgun and a duffel bag.  He ran to a car, a white Chrysler 300, got in and sped away from the scene. Capone and a woman who was with him also fled the scene in a separate vehicle. Witnesses ran into the house and found Mr. Phillips lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. He appeared to be dead.

Detectives used digital forensic tools on Mr. Phillips cellphone. They found text messages between him and Capone. They learned that Capone was brokering a drug deal between Mr. Phillips and the suspects. A search warrant issued to the phone carrier for records and subscriber information revealed more information.

The Call Detail Records (CDRs) were imported into CellHawk and revealed all the patterns in communications with everyone involved in the brokering of the drug deal. Detectives were quickly able to identify “Capone” as Tony Hardin, the passenger of the Chrysler as Tywan Porter, and the driver/gunman as Zalon Brown. Other records check revealed Mr. Brown owned a white Chrysler 300.

The CDRs not only showed the communications between the people involved but also could put them near the scene of the homicide at the time it occurred AND in the area the previous night.

Detectives requested arrest warrants for all three men for their participation in Michael Phillips murder.

During the trial, Detective Simonds showed the jury how CellHawk mapped out the CDRs for each suspect.  The Prosecutor presented the CellHawk reports as demonstrative aids during the trial.  The jury ultimately found Zalon Brown guilty of murder, and he received a life sentence.

“CellHawk was an invaluable aid, both for the initial investigation and for the presentation during the trial,” says Detective Simonds.  “It is, without doubt, a tool that is necessary for analyzing phone records in criminal investigations and prosecutions.”

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