Bodycam footage was recently released showing director Ryan Coogler’s reaction to being mistaken for a robber at a Bank of America in Atlanta.
On Jan. 7, police officers approached the“Black Panther” director while still at the teller window.
“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?” Coogler, 35, can be heard shouting as one of the officers pulls out a gun before detaining him.
“Hands behind my back – you got it,” Coogler said
“Is there any reason you all are doing this, bro? He asked the officer, who gave no response.
Coogler then suggests that the officers “Google” his name, but they didn’t; instead, it was written down on a notepad.
“I’m really trying to keep it from being a bad day on your job, bro,” Coogler adds. “Black man to black man.”
Afterward, police put Coogler in the back seat of a squad car, where he asks that his sunglasses be removed to avoid a “panic attack.”
In the backseat of the car was Coogler’s baby’s nurse, who was also detained.
After hearing that he was arrested because of a note he passed to the teller, Coogler explained that he has an employee who likes to be paid in cash. Since it was a significant amount, he didn’t feel comfortable asking for it verbally in front of everyone.
According to TMZ, the note read, “I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I want to be discreet.”
Eventually, Coogler was released and demanded everyone involved names.
“I need to find out who made that call in there,” he said, to which an officer replied, “It came from the bank.”
According to a police report, the incident was “a mistake by Bank of America and that Mr. Coogler was never in the wrong,” adding that he was “immediately taken out of handcuff.”
A spokesperson for BoA said, “We deeply regret that this incident occurred,” adding that, “It never should have happened, and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”
Since then, Coogler has said that “This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction, and we have moved on.”
