Watch ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Keep His Cool During Mistaken Bank-Robber Arrest (Video)

thewrap.com:

was detained Jan. 7 after he tried to withdraw cash from his account at an Atlanta branch. Coogler used his own bank card, ID, and pin number at the teller’s window, then passed a note with the amount — $12,000 — asking that it be counted elsewhere for privacy and security.Though Coogler would later tell cops that he’s communicated with tellers via notes several times before without incident, this time the handwritten slip was mistaken for a robbery demand.

Police arrived within minutes, handcuffing him right there at the window. Coogler immediately complied, and though he appeared agitated — anyone would be — he kept his head throughout the ordeal. “I’m trying to pull money out of my own account,” Coogler explains to officers, now outside near a squad car. “It’s a medical assistant that works at my house and prefers to be paid in cash. … Every time I make a withdrawal to pay her … if I don’t write it down on a note, the whole bank is looking at me.”Coogler doesn’t pull the “Do you know who I am?” card, but he does gently suggest officers look him up to save themselves time — and possible embarrassment.“I got a badge on, hanging on my hip?

A work badge,” he says calmly, while still in cuffs. “It’ll tell you everything about me. And if you just run my name, you’ll understand why you should take off these cuffs.