FBI executes warrant in Parkville hate crime investigation at Chase Bank
Federal investigators are seeking cell tower data from major wireless providers as part of an ongoing investigation into a September 2024 arson and vandalism attack at a Chase Bank construction site in Parkville.
According to an FBI affidavit filed in April, the early morning attack was carried out by an unknown masked suspect, described as a white male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and a black face covering.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect approaching the building and spray-painting the phrase “Jews did 9/11” on the bank’s exterior wall. The video also captured him throwing a Molotov cocktail, a homemade firebomb, at the ATM, which started a fire that ultimately caused significant damage to the bank’s structure.
Multiple windows on the building were also shattered or punctured with bullet holes. Surveillance video then captured the suspect throwing the weapons and fleeing into nearby woods.
Damage to the building was estimated at $500,000.
The same bank was previously defaced in August 2024 with the Stars of David as well as the letters “TKD,” an acronym believed to stand for “Total Kike Death” and historically known for its neo-Nazi symbolism. Investigators believe the two incidents are connected, and are investigating them as federal arson and hate crimes.
In efforts to identify the suspect, the FBI has requested cell phone records and location data from three major wireless cell phone providers: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Execution of warrant against AT&T
Of the three carriers, AT&T was the first provider for which a search warrant was both granted and executed. The warrant, signed by a U.S. Magistrate judge on April 28, directed AT&T to turn over records stored at a facility located in southern Florida.
The search warrant authorized the collection of call detail records, network usage data, and specialized location metrics which are technical tools used by authorities to estimate a phone’s location based on its distance from cell towers.
The goal, according to the FBI, is to analyze and compare which devices were within the coverage area during specific windows of time on the nights of the attacks and surrounding dates, as well as any devices that follow suspicious patterns.
According to the affidavit, analysts with the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team will rule out devices that appear to belong to local residents during key time frames near the crime scene. Using data analytics and cellular mapping, experts can pinpoint phones that appeared only during the time of the attacks, a technique increasingly used in modern digital forensics.
The FBI special agent who wrote the affidavit also certified that the requested data was retrieved from AT&T and submitted to the court as part of the ongoing investigation.
This is an ongoing investigation and authorities have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
Anyone with information on the incidents or the identity of the suspect can call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
