‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Detained After Being Mistaken for Bank Robber

Ryan Coogler — the acclaimed director behind films such as “Black Panther,” “Creed,” and “Fruitvale Station” — confirms he was wrongfully accused of staging a bank robbery in Atlanta.

According to a report from the Atlanta Police Department obtained by TMZ and Variety on Wednesday, the filmmaker was detained and handcuffed after he went to a Bank of America location to make a transaction on January 7.

Officials say the 35-year-old — who was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a face mask — went to the counter and handed the bank teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back that reportedly read, “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.”

However, the teller — described in the report as a pregnant Black woman — reportedly had suspicions because the amount of the transaction exceeded $10,000 and triggered an alert notification from Coogler’s bank account.

The teller then told her supervisor that she believed this was a robbery attempt and they called the police.

At the scene, four officers detained two of Coogler’s colleagues, who were waiting for him outside the bank in a car with the engine running. While speaking to police, the colleagues told cops who Coogler was and what he was wearing, which matched the description of the man suspected of robbing the bank.

While the colleagues were detained in the back of a police vehicle, Coogler was handcuffed and taken out of the bank by two of the officers.

However, after verifying Coogler’s identity and his Bank of America account, the officers released him and his colleagues. The report adds that Coogler asked for the badge numbers of all officers at the scene.

In a statement obtained by outlets including TMZ and Variety, Coogler confirmed the incident but recognized that Bank of America took necessary actions after the mix-up.

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

A spokesperson for Bank of America also told Variety, “We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”