"Black Panther" Director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed after being mistaken as a bank robber in January, new reports indicate. The incident, the filmmaker says, "should never have happened."
According to an Atlanta PD report, obtained by TMZ and other outlets, the filmmaker was attempting to make a legal transaction at a local Bank of America via a written note. A bank teller, though, thought it was a robbery in progress and alerted the police, who raced over.

Reports indicated Ryan was incognito in a COVID mask, hat and sunglasses when he approached the teller. There, he handed the teller — described as "a pregnant Black woman" — a note the read, "I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account."
Because of the high dollar amount, he didn't want to draw attention to himself. "Please do the money count somewhere else. I'd like to be discreet," the note said.
While asking for a withdrawal via a written statement is unorthodox, it is not illegal.
Arriving officers detained two people waiting for Ryan in an SUV. Then, they put Ryan in handcuffs, the report says. Authorities quickly realized that the Bank of America teller was at fault for jumping to conclusions and triggering a police alert.
In the midst of the incident, the award-winning director asked for the badge numbers of the officers.
In a statement, he said, "This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."