This is a case of guilty while being Black. Variety has reported a shocking story that acclaimed Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler was arrested by Atlanta police after being mistaken for a bank robber.
In January, Coogler entered a Bank of America brand to make a teller withdrawal. The filmmaker was reportedly wearing a COVID face make and sunglasses. He told the BOA teller that he was making a withdrawal of $12,000 from his account and handed the teller a note, that said, “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 Teller, described as a “Pregnant Black Woman” believed Coogler was actually robbing the bank. She then proceeded to call the police. When the officers arrived on the scene, they detained Coogler’s associates and led the handcuffed director outside to an SUV. He was released shortly after they verified his identity, the police report states.
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Coogler was understandably upset and asked for the badge numbers of each of the officers present. The director, who is currently helming the troubled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, issued a brief statement today:
“This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
“We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler,” Bank of America said in a statement to CNN.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to be released in theaters on November 11.
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