An Ohio bank has apologized after its staff called the cops on a black customer who was trying to cash his first paycheck from a new job. Paul McCowns, 30, said he was trying to cash the $1,000 paycheck this month, but the tellers refused to carry out the transaction. McCowns was then met by police when leaving the bank and was handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser. An officer told him the bank’s teller had called 911; a recording obtained by CNN revealed that the bank’s staff said they believed the check to be “fraudulent.” McCowns said: “It was highly embarrassing, highly embarrassing... The person who made that phone call—that manager, that teller—whoever made that phone call, I feel as though they were judging.” The Brooklyn Police Department later confirmed with the employer that the check was valid. Huntingdon Bank has now apologized to McCowns for the “extremely unfortunate event,” adding: “Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry.”
