Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank teller accused him of attempting to hold up her bank.
The incident occurred in January at a Bank of America branch, according to a police report obtained by TMZ.
Coogler was detained after he walked into the branch wearing shades and a COVID face mask. He handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note scribbled on the back.
According to TMZ, Coogler’s note 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.”
High net worth individuals routinely slip notes to bank tellers because bank tellers have no discretion when making large transactions. It’s not unusual for a teller to yell in front of everybody: “DO YOU WANT $12,000 IN LARGE BILLS?!”
Even though his note wasn’t suspicious, the teller – a pregnant Black woman – told her boss Coogler was attempting to rob the bank, and they called 911, according to TMZ.
When officers arrived, they detained 2 people waiting outside for Coogler in an SUV. Police entered the bank and brought Coogler out in handcuffs.
After an investigation, police realized it was all a mistake, and they blamed the BoA employee for jumping to the wrong conclusion.
According to the police report, the teller’s computer triggered some sort of an alert when she tried to make the transaction.
Coogler was not pleased with BoA or the cops. The police report notes that he asked for badge numbers of the officers at the scene.
Coogler is in Atlanta filming the sequel to Black Panther.
