'Black Panther' director mistaken for bank robber in Atlanta

Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank employee mistook him for a robber when he passed her a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account

ATLANTA -- Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank employee mistook him for a robber when he passed her a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account.

The “Black Panther” director, who is Black, walked into a Bank of America branch Jan. 7 and passed the bank employee a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back asking her to “be discreet when handing him the cash,” according to a police report. He also had his California state identification card and his Bank of America account card.

He was trying to withdraw more than $10,000, and the bank employee “received an alert notification” from his account and quickly alerted her manager that Coogler was trying to rob the bank, the report says. The bank employee is a Black woman, the report says.

Police responding to the bank branch in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood saw a black Lexus SUV parked out front with the engine running. An officer talked to the male driver who said he was waiting for Coogler, who was inside the bank. A female passenger gave police the same information.