Rapper Blac Youngsta was detained by Atlanta police on Friday (Jan. 8) after reportedly withdrawing $200,000 from a local Peachtree Wells Fargo Bank branch. He was wrongfully apprehended by authorities after a call was placed about a forgery attempt by the bank’s manager, and later released after he was found to not be involved in the incident. After police offered a statement regarding the story, a rep for Well Fargo has also followed suit.
In a report by Atlanta’s 11Alive News, Wells Fargo’s Southest Communication Manager Crystal Drake released a statement claiming that Blac Youngsta does not have an account with the bank. Drake also responded to claims by Atlanta police that an adequate description of the forgery suspect was not given:
Mr. Benson is not an account holder with us. He did not enter our store nor did he make any withdrawals.
A fraudulent incident did occur in the store so in the best interest of our customer, we reported it to law enforcement right away and as a result, a suspect was apprehended and the customer was not the victim of fraud. Mr. Benson was not a party to the fraudulent incident.
We’re confident that our description of the suspect was appropriate. It is documented in the police report. We encourage you to review it.
According to Atlanta police, Blac Youngsta detainment was a “misunderstanding.” After a general description of the suspect’s vehicle was given, officers approached the rapper and his entourage. The real suspect, 39-year-old Charles Darnell, was later arrested for first degree forgery after Youngsta was released. The rapper told reporters on the day of the incident that he did have an account at the bank, and made a withdrawal before being detained: