Ryan Coogler is speaking out about a headline-grabbing arrest he says ‘should have never happened.’
According to a police report, the ‘Black Panther’ director stepped into an Atlanta branch of Bank of America (BOA) in January and handed the 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.”
Despite providing proper identification, the bank teller assumed Coogler was a bank robber because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, mask, and sunglasses. After she notified her manager and police authorities, the award-winning filmmaker was temporarily detained.
Body cam footage of the ordeal landed online nearly two months later, causing a media hoopla in its wake. Now, Ryan and BOA have issued statements about the now-viral clip.
Taking to ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ Coogler waxed honest about the embarrassing encounter.
“This situation should never have happened,” Coogler said in a statement Wednesday (March 9). “However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
BOA echoed the 35-year-old’s sentiment.
“We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler,” a rep from the bank said.
As of time reported, the financial institution has not announced any action plan on how it will avoid situations like this in the future.
