Yesterday, we learned that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was detained by police in January after calling into a Bank of America branch to make a withdrawal...which led to the filmmaker being mistaken for a bank robber. Wearing sunglasses and a face mask, Coogler handed over a note that 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."
For whatever reason, the teller was suspicious and decided to alert her manager. With that, the cops were called and the Black Panther director was led out of the bank in handcuffs.
Now, bodycam footage from the incident has found its way online and it makes for upsetting viewing.
A clearly shaken Coogler, who we see here was faced with the sight of one of the cops taking his gun out of its holster, shares his disbelief outside the branch in the aftermath of the incident. "At the bank, she never said it was a f***ing problem. I said, 'Hey, is [my request] going to be okay with you?' She said, 'Yeah.' I put my own card in. Put my own pin in. She asked to see my ID, I gave it to her. And she goes in the back...next thing I know, I'm hearing a [frick]ing Glock being pulled out, unholstered."
It's impossible to watch a situation like this unfold and not believe it's race-related. For what it's worth, Coogler has issued a very short statement on the matter saying Bank of America has resolved the situation, but it will be interesting to see if he talks more about what happened down the line.
Watch the footage below:
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