Ryan Coogler is at the center of a controversy after he was detained by police while trying to withdraw money from his own account at a Bank of America in Atlanta back in January. The Black Panther director slipped the bank teller a note requesting a $12,000 withdrawal in cash from his checking account, and he wanted it to be done discreetly for security purposes. Instead that simply happening, Coogler was mistaken for a bank robber and detained.
The bodycam footage from the incident has been released, showing Coogler's shock at how things played out. Page Six has more:
When one of the cops pulls a gun before detaining Coogler, the 35-year-old can be heard saying, âWhoa, whoa, whatâs going on?â
Although he is caught off guard, Coogler immediately cooperates, telling the officers, âHands behind my back â you got it.â
He then asks, âIs there any reason yâall are doing this, bro?â but is not given an immediate response.
Ryan Coogler tried to explain the situation but was still taken to the back of a squad car. He was ultimately released, with Bank of America noting the error in a police report.
Here's video of the incident:
And here's the 911 call, showing the error:
It's good that nothing bad wound up happening to Ryan Coogler, but this certainly seems to have been a major and unacceptable screwup that never should have happened. Coogler said as much after the fact but claims to have âmoved onâ after getting an apology and working with Bank of America.
Ryan Coogler has recently been in Atlanta filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The 35-year-old has become a major player on the Hollywood scene over the past decade, directing Creed in addition to Black Panther and also playing a producer role for Space Jam: A New Legacy, among other projects.