US bank apologizes after calling police on black man

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - A bank issued an apology to a black man in Cleveland, Ohio after calling the police on him when bank employees thought he was trying to cash a fraudulent check.

Paul McCowns, 30, who had recently gotten a new job working at an electric company, went to Huntington Bank on Dec. 1 to cash his paycheck, but employees said he would not be able to since it was over $1,000, he told WOIO, a CBS News local affiliate.

The man, who was not a client at the bank, gave the bank two forms of identification, and the employees secretly called the police after they were convinced the check was fraudulent.

"The person who made that phone call, that manager, that teller, whoever made that phone call, I feel as though they were judging," McCowns told WOIO.

After he left the bank, McCowns was met by police outside where they handcuffed him and put him in the back of a police car, before realizing that the check was in fact valid, according to local reports.

"It was highly embarrassing. Highly embarrassing," McCowns added.

Huntington bank issued a statement on Wednesday after failing to reach McCowns and apologized for the "extremely unfortunate event."

"We sincerely apologize to Mr. McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns," the bank said in a statement sent to local outlets.

"Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving."