Director Ryan Coogler, known for the Marvel film Black pantherwas wrongfully arrested for a bank robbery when he wanted to withdraw money from his own account.
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Famous and Bizarre
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Black pantherdirector Ryan Coogler was briefly detained by police in Atlanta on Jan. 7 after he was suspected of being a bank robber at a branch of Bank of America. This is according to a police report released recently. “This situation should never have happened,” Coogler told Variety† “Bank of America did work with me and handled it to my satisfaction, after which we put the incident behind us.”
The 35-year-old director, wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask, went to Bank of America to conduct a transaction. At the counter, he handed the bank teller a cash withdrawal receipt with a note that read, “I would like to withdraw $12,000 in cash from my checking account. Please do the money counting elsewhere. I like to be discreet.’ After the transaction triggered a warning within the system, the cashier misinterpreted the situation as an attempted robbery. She and her boss called the police.
Fugitive bank robber
Atlanta Police Department officers arrested Coogler because his appearance and clothing matched those of a fugitive bank robber. Two of Coogler’s colleagues, who were waiting outside in a car with the engine running, were also arrested. After verifying Coogler’s identity and account with Bank of America, the director was released along with his colleagues. Coogler later requested the badge numbers of all officers present at the incident.
A spokesperson for the bank said Variety know that they regret the incident, and that it should never have happened. They also apologized to the director.
Coogler is currently filming the sequel to Black panther, Black panther: Wakanda forever, in Atlanta. The film is expected in cinemas in November.
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