Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty
Atlanta police released bodycam footage of the arrest of Black Panther director Ryan Coogler at a local Bank Of America location, highlighting the tension of the moment in harrowing fashion. While Coogler said he’s moved on beyond the incident, the video from the authorities illustrates how closely the situation had the potential to go awry.
For those unaware, Coogler entered the Bank of America location back on Jan. 7 as stated on the arrest record. Coogler, in what could be viewed as an attempt at discretion, were a hat, sunglasses, and a mask per the demands of COVID-19 precautions. Coogler handed the teller a note on the back of the withdrawal slip 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.”
The request alarmed the teller who then proceeded to call the police after assuming the ask was a bank robbery attempt. Coogler was handcuffed along with two associates waiting on him to emerge from the establishment, but all were later released without incident.
As reported by Variety, Coogler spoke to the situation simply stating to the outlet, “This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
The footage was released by the Atlanta Police Department on Thursday (March 10), and it was clear that the moment was possibly overblown. Given the propensity of moments like this ending in tragedy, it is indeed a miracle Coogler left the moment physically unscathed.
Footage of the arrest courtesy of Fox 5 Atlanta can be viewed below. We do warn that the images within might be disturbing to some.
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Photo: Getty
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