Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was mistaken for bank robber, handcuffed in Atlanta

Ryan Coogler is one of the most acclaimed young directors in Hollywood, but he was mistaken as a bank robber and briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police on Jan. 7.

"This situation should never have happened," Coogler said in a statement to EW. "However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."

Bank of America said in a statement to EW, "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler."

According to an incident report obtained by TMZ, who were first to report the news, Coogler stopped at a Bank of America location in Atlanta, where he is currently working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While two associates waited outside in a black SUV, Coogler went inside to withdraw $12,000 from his account. Given the size of the transaction, he wrote a note on his withdrawal slip: "Please do the money count somewhere else. I'd like to be discreet."

This note apparently alarmed the bank teller, a pregnant Black woman, and when her computer triggered an additional alert, she informed her boss that a potential bank robbery was in process. The police were called, and they briefly put Coogler in handcuffs until the incident was straightened out.

Representatives from the Atlanta Police Department did not immediately respond to EW's request for additional comment.

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