“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler was handcuffed in Atlanta earlier this year after a Bank of America teller mistook him for a robber.
The filmmaker, 35, was attempting to make a discreet withdrawal from his account on Jan. 7, a police report obtained by Page Six reveals.
Coogler was wearing a green hoodie, black hat, dark sunglasses and a white face mask protecting him from COVID-19 when he walked into the Atlanta branch.
He handed the teller — described in the report as a “pregnant black female” — a slip with a handwritten note on the back, which led her to believe Coogler was trying to stage a robbery.
The police report further states that after being handed the note and receiving “an alert notification from Mr. Coogler’s account,” the teller informed her manager and they called 911.
“I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account,” reads the note, allegedly obtained by TMZ. “Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”
The reporting officer stated in the police report that the incident was “a mistake by Bank Of America and that Mr. Coogler was never in the wrong,” noting that the filmmaker was “immediately taken out of handcuff.”
“We deeply regret that this incident occurred,” a Bank of America spokesperson told Page Six on Wednesday.
“It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”
The director also released the following statement to Page Six:
“This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
Coogler has been in Atlanta filming the sequel to “Black Panther.”
The highly anticipated Marvel film, titled “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is slated for release in November.
