When trying to withdraw money from his bank, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was mistaken for a robber.
In January, Atlanta police held the filmmaker, who also directed the boxing film Creed, after a bank teller mistakenly suspected he was committing a heist.
Coogler entered the bank wearing sunglasses and a face mask, handing a slip to the cashier with a letter written on the back.
"I would like to take $12,000 (£9,000) cash from my bank account," the note stated, according to a police report obtained by TMZ. "Please count the money in a different location. I'd prefer to be unnoticed."
When the transaction generated an alarm in the system, the bank teller became suspicious and informed her manager that Coogler was attempting to rob the bank.
Four Atlanta Police Department officers came on the scene and apprehended two of Coogler's coworkers who were waiting outside the bank in a car with the engine running for him.
They told the authorities who Coogler was and what he was wearing, which matched the description of the bank robbery suspect.
Coogler's coworkers were detained in the rear of a police truck, and two cops handcuffed and escorted Coogler out of the bank.
The cops freed Coogler and his coworkers after validating Coogler's identity and his Bank of America account.
Police found that Coogler had done nothing wrong and that the teller, who TMZ identified as a pregnant Black lady, had made a mistake after an inquiry.
Coogler is now in Atlanta filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the box office smash Black Panther.
The sequel's development has been marred by issues such as an injury to Letitia Wright, who reprises her role as Shuri, as well as questions over her immunization status.
A spokesperson for Coogler has been contacted by The Independent for comment.
"This circumstance should never have happened," the filmmaker told TMZ. Bank of America, on the other hand, worked with me and resolved the issue to my satisfaction, and we've carried on."
Since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there has been increased scrutiny of acts of racism in a variety of businesses, with a particular attention on racism in Hollywood.
As addressed in a discussion organized by Variety, the movement has also empowered more Black and people of color in the business to come up about their experiences.
