Audio of the 911 call that led to Ryan Coogler’s wrongful arrest has been released. In a clip obtained by TMZ on Wednesday (March 10), the bank teller responsible for making the phone call is captured as she explains her reasons for concern.
According to the audio recording, the bank teller claims she grew uncomfortable after receiving a note in which the director requested she handle his transaction discreetly. She confirmed that he had a debit card and provided his California state ID but found it weird when her questions were met with directions to refer to the letter. “Every time I ask him, he’s like look at the note,” the teller is heard saying.
When speaking to the 911 operator, the bank employee admitted that she failed to verify Coogler’s information because she was in a state of shock. “I’m just so shook up,” she said. “I don’t know what he was trying to do.” She added that she was instructed to call authorities after informing her manager of the incident.
Upon listening to the employee’s story, the 911 operator insisted that Coogler may “just wanna be discreet,” adding that she has police around in the event that he was trying to rob the bank. “He might,” the bank teller responded. “He just seems weird.”
As REVOLT previously reported, Coogler was handcuffed and detained after cops received the call about a possible bank robbery. He was later released after the situation was cleared up.
“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 director told TMZ after the incident.
Bank of America also issued an apology for the occurrence. “We deeply regret that this incident occurred,” the statement read. “It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”
Listen to the 911 call below.