Carmella Rose : ‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler detained after being mistaken for Bank Robber at Bank of America branch

‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler detained after being mistaken for bank robber at Bank of America branch

“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler said Wednesday that he was handcuffed and briefly detained in January after he was mistaken for a bank robber while trying to get money from his Bank of America account.

Coogler, regarded as one of Hollywood’s most talented creative minds, confirmed in a statement to The Washington Post that he was detained at a branch in Atlanta.

“This situation should never have happened,” said Coogler, 35. “However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction, and we have moved on.”

Coogler, who is filming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in Atlanta, entered a Bank of America branch on Jan. 7 wearing sunglasses, a hat and a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. When he approached the counter, he allegedly handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back, according to TMZ, the first to report the news.

“I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account,” the note read, according to a police report of the incident. “Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”

But the teller — described in the police report as a “pregnant Black female” — misinterpreted the situation as an attempted robbery and alerted her boss. The large withdrawal attempt also set off a computer alert. The Atlanta Police Department released the audio of the 911 call from the teller late Wednesday.

“Every time I asked him a question he was like, ‘Look at the note,’ ” she said. “I told him, ‘Give me one moment. I have to get my manager.’ ”

When police arrived at the branch in the Buckhead section of the city, officers detained two people in an SUV outside the bank who were waiting for Coogler. Police also handcuffed Coogler, even though his friends described him to police as a “movie producer,” according to the report.

In body-camera footage released by the Atlanta Police Department late Wednesday, an officer is seen taking the gun out of his holster before handcuffing Coogler.

“Whoa, whoa — what’s going on?” Coogler asked.

One of the officers is heard in the video saying of Coogler, “Apparently he’s a big shot or something like that.”

After Coogler gave police his California driver’s license and Bank of America card, authorities said they soon figured out that “the incident is a mistake by Bank of America and that Mr. Coogler was never in the wrong.”

Coogler “was immediately taken out of handcuffs” and the two friends who were in the SUV were “taken out from the rear of the patrol vehicle,” police wrote, according to the report. Police said they explained the misunderstanding to the three people and apologized.

Coogler appeared shaken up by the incident, according to body-cam footage.

“I ain’t had guns on me in a while, bro,” he said. “It’s a major problem, man. … I just had guns drawn for taking money out my own account.”

According to the video, Coogler explained to police that he was getting $12,000 out of his account so that he could pay a household employee. He added that the employee prefers to be paid in cash.

A spokesman for Bank of America also confirmed to The Post that the incident happened.

“We deeply regret that this incident occurred,” the spokesman said. “It never should have happened, and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”

Bank of America declined to comment on whether the employee or the Atlanta branch faced discipline for the incident.

A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday… More