Ryan Coogler: ‘Black Panther’ Director Wrongly Targeted in Bank Robbery Call

Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther, was wrongly targeted in a bank robbery. Staffers at a bank in Atlanta mistakenly thought the director was staging a robbery and called the cops…

Updated Mar 14, 2022 12:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 04: Director Ryan Coogler attends the 19th Annual AFI Awards at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI)

Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther, was wrongly targeted in a bank robbery. Staffers at a bank in Atlanta mistakenly thought the director was staging a robbery and called the cops on him. The famed director actually ended up in handcuffs briefly.

According to an Atlanta PD report, obtained by TMZ, Coogler was detained after stopping in a Bank of America to make a transaction back in January. The director walked into the bank with shades and a COVID face mask and handed the teller a withdrawal slip that had a note written on the back. The note read per the outlet: "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." The note made the teller suspicious so she called the cops for attempted robbery.Two cops arrived and they detained the two people who were waiting outside for Coogler and then came into the bank and handcuffed the director.After an investigation, the police confirmed that it was a misunderstanding and the fault lies with the Bank of America employee, who is described as a pregnant Black woman.

According to the report, the amount that Coogler wanted to withdraw triggered an alert. The teller then went ahead and told her boss Coogler was attempting to rob the bank, and they called 911.

The cops admitted that Coogler was not in the wrong at all, per the gossip site. However, the report notes Coogler asked for badge numbers of all the responding officers once everyone was released so it is unknown if the director will be pursuing legal action further.

Ryan Coogler