Ohio

Black Man Trying to Cash Paycheck is Handcuffed After Bank Teller Calls 911

The bank teller wrongly believed the man's paycheck was fraudulent, and reports of the incident have sparked a new hashtag, #BankingWhileBlack

An Ohio man trying to cash his paycheck from a new job was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car after a bank teller called 911 on the false belief the check was fraudulent, NBC News reported.

Now the bank is apologizing as reports of the incident have sparked a new hashtag, #BankingWhileBlack.

Paul McCowns, of Cleveland, went to a Huntington Bank branch in the suburb of Brooklyn, Ohio, on Dec. 1 to cash his paycheck of a little over $1,000, according to police and the bank.

McCowns told police he provided two forms of identification, as well as his fingerprints, which is standard policy for non-account holders at the bank.

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