Filmmaker Ryan Coogler has broken his silence following the revelation that he was briefly arrested in January after he was mistaken for a bank robber.
The Black Panther director, 35, approached the counter in a bid to discreetly withdraw $12,000 from his Bank of America account, prompting the teller to raise the alarm after suspecting that he was attempting a robbery.
Confirming the news—first reported by TMZ on Wednesday—Coogler told Variety: "This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."
According to initial reports, California native Coogler entered the bank wearing a hat, sunglasses and a face mask in adherence with COVID protocols.
He is then said to have handed the teller a withdrawal slip, reportedly writing on the back of it: "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."
When the amount of cash required triggered an alarm on the banking system, the teller, who had misunderstood the situation, informed her boss, alongside whom she called the police.
According to the police incident report viewed by Newsweek, police arrived on the scene and detained two people who were waiting for Coogler outside the bank in an SUV. Coogler was also handcuffed. On learning it was a misunderstanding, all parties were released without charge.
Creed director Coogler requested the badge numbers of the officers involved at the time, according to the incident report. Photos relating to the incident have also been published.
A Bank of America spokesperson told Newsweek: "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler."
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Coogler and the Atlanta Police Department for comment.
Coogler is in Atlanta filming Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the 2018 box office juggernaut Black Panther, which grossed $700 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide.
Filming on the anticipated project had been delayed as Letitia Wright, who is reprising her role as Shuri, was injured back in August 2021.
As a result of the injury, which Marvel executives revealed included a "critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects," production on the anticipated project didn't resume until 2022.
The first film's central star Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed superhero T'Challa, passed away in August 2020 at the age of 43, after quietly battling cancer.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to be released in November 2022.
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