AI Gun Detection System Mistakes Doritos Bag for Firearm, Leads to Handcuffing

An AI-powered security system at a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, recently triggered a chaotic police response after it erroneously flagged a student's bag of chips as a potential firearm, resulting in the bewildered teenager being handcuffed by officers. 🚨

The incident, which took place outside Kenwood High School, has sparked outrage in the community and prompted local officials to call for an immediate review of the AI technology and the school's emergency response protocols.

The False Alarm
The student, Taki Allen, was sitting with friends outside the school after football practice, eating a bag of Doritos. The school uses an AI gun detection system (reportedly provided by Omnilert) that utilizes existing security cameras to scan for objects resembling weapons and alert safety personnel.

According to the student and subsequent reports:

The AI system flagged the shape of the Doritos bag, held in a specific way by the student, as a possible firearm.

Taki Allen told local media that officers arrived on the scene with guns drawn, ordering him to the ground.

"They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me," Allen recounted. Police searched him and confirmed he was unarmed, later finding the bag of chips on the ground near where he was standing.

The student described the experience as terrifying, stating he was initially worried he "was about to die."

The Breakdown in Communication
The incident has highlighted a critical breakdown in the human-oversight layer intended to prevent such false alarms from escalating:

Alert Canceled: The school’s Department of School Safety and Security reviewed the initial AI alert and cancelled it after confirming there was no weapon.

Police Still Called: Kenwood High Principal, Kate Smith, confirmed in a letter to parents that she then reported the situation to the school resource officer (SRO) for additional support, without immediately realizing the initial AI alert had been cleared by the safety team. The SRO subsequently called local police.

Heavy Response: Multiple police cars and officers, some with guns drawn, responded to the report of a "suspicious person with a weapon" that originated from the SRO's call.

The company behind the AI system stated that the technology "functioned as intended: to prioritize safety and awareness through rapid human verification." However, the incident clearly demonstrates how human error and communication failure compounded the AI's false positive, leading to a traumatic encounter for the student.

Calls for Accountability
Local officials, including Baltimore County Councilmen, have demanded accountability and a comprehensive review of the school system's use of AI security.

"No child in our school system should be accosted by police for eating a bag of Doritos," Councilman Izzy Patoka stated, reflecting widespread community outrage over the overreaction to the false alarm. The incident underscores growing concerns about the accuracy and potential for bias in AI surveillance systems, particularly when deployed in high-stakes environments like schools.