Black Panther director Ryan Coogler found himself in a frustrating bind after being detained and misidentified as a bank robber. While executing a routine task at a Bank of America in Atlanta in January, Coogler was briefly arrested by Atlanta police after attempting to make a withdrawal. According to reports, the bank’s staff mistakenly accused him of staging a robbery.
The 35-year-old director was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and face mask when he reportedly handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note on the back that read, “I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”
The police were called shortly after about an attempted robbery. Upon arrival, officers detained two people who were waiting outside for Coogler and escorted him out of the bank in handcuffs. According to a police report obtained by TMZ, the transaction triggered an alert that prompted them to contact local authorities. The report also states that Coogler asked for the arresting officers’ badge numbers.
Coogler has issued the following statement: “This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
A spokesperson for Bank of America provided a statement to Variety expressing, “We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is slated for release on Nov. 11th.