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'Black Panther' Director Detained, Mistaken For Bank Robber After Slipping Teller Note
Bank of America has apologized after a teller at one of their branches mistook a legitimate request by "Black Panther" director Ryan Cooger as an attempt to rob the bank.
The director of “Black Panther” was detained after a bank teller mistook him for a robber after he asked for a withdrawal from his account.
Ryan Coogler, 35, had entered a Bank of America branch in Atlanta back in January and gave a note to the bank teller requesting a $12,000 cash withdrawal from his checking account, TMZ reports. He requested in that note that the teller “please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet."
And while the iconic director provided proper identification, and gave her his debit card and pin number, the teller decided to call 911. In that call, obtained and released by TMZ, she said she didn’t feel comfortable and informed her boss of what she characterized was a suspected bank robbery.
As a result, police responded to the bank. Coogler was approached by Atlanta Police officers while he was waiting for the withdrawal to occur. They detained him as well as two of his associates, a man and a woman, who were waiting for him outside of the bank. Bodycam footage obtained by TMZ captured the dramatic incident, which involved officers placing Coogler in handcuffs.
“If you just run my name, you’ll understand why you should take off these cuffs,” he can be heard telling the officers after being brought out of the bank. “Just put it in Google.”
The director and his friends were not charged with anything.
The Atlanta Police stated that “the incident is a mistake by Bank of America and that Mr. Coogler was never in the wrong and was immediately taken out of handcuff and that suspects # 1 and # 2 was [sic] taken out from the rear of the patrol vehicle,” a police report obtained by the Hollywood Reporter reads.
Meanwhile, Bank of America said in an apology that they “deeply regret that this incident occurred,” the New York Times reports.
“It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”
Coogler, who has directed and produced a handful of films including “Creed,” told TMZ that “this situation should never have happened.”
“However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on,” he said.
