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Ohio Bank Racially Profiles Black Man, Calls Cops On Him For Trying To Cash A Check

Bank tellers at Huntington Bank called the police of Paul McCowns when they could not verify the check he was trying to cash.
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By Paula Rogo ·
An Ohio man was trying to cash his check at a bank when an employee called the cops on him. According to Cleveland News 19, Paul McCowns, who is Black, ran into problems when bank tellers at Huntington Bank refused to honor the $1,082 check. McCowns had just started his job at an electric company and this was his first heck. “It was highly embarrassing,” he said. Despite showing two forms of I.D., the bank decided to verify the check by calling McCowns’ boss. But his boss didn’t pick up. At that point, the teller called 911. “He’s trying to cash a check and the check is fraudulent. It does not match our records,” the teller told a 911 operator. McCowns left the bank not realizing that the cops had been called. “I get in my truck and the squad car pull in front of me and he says, ‘get out the car,’” he said. McCowns said he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car while cops reached out to his new employer and confirmed the check was legitimate. As for the bank, they have since apologized to McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. “Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry.”