Maryland high school student handcuffed, searched after AI weapons detection system flags bag of chips as possible gun

A Maryland high school student triggered an AI weapons detection system by placing a bag of chips in his pocket last week, leading to a response from multiple police officers.

Taki Allen, 16, was eating Doritos after football practice at Kenwood High School in suburban Baltimore County last Monday when a swarm of police officers descended on him.

“It was like eight cop cars that came pulling up for us,” he told WBAL-TV. “At first, I didn’t know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns, talking about, ‘Get on the ground,’ and I was like, ‘What?’” 

Officers ordered Allen to his knees and handcuffed him with his hands behind his back, but their search never turned up a weapon. Instead, they found a bag of chips near where he had been standing. 

“I was just holding a Doritos bag – it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun,” Allen told the station. 

In a police body camera video of the incident – which showed multiple people in handcuffs – an officer looked at the image flagged by AI and said, “I don’t think it is (a gun). It looks like a bag or something.” 

The officer then said, “I guess just the way you guys were eating chips … it picked it up as a gun. That’s all. AI’s not the best,” as another officer begins undoing the handcuffs. 

Schools increasingly using AI to detect weapons 

The incident comes as more schools are turning to artificial intelligence to strengthen security in response to school shootings and violence. The technology analyzes security camera footage and offers real-time alerts to potential threats. 

Baltimore County Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said the school’s system, Omnilert, flagged Allen for a possible weapon but required human verification before any action was taken. That’s where things went wrong. 

“The alert was canceled by the (school’s) Safety Team,” the district told Fox News, but “the principal, who did not see the cancellation, contacted our school resource officer,” who asked local police to intervene. 

The district began using Omnilert last year, one of several AI technologies being implemented in schools. The company told Fox News the system “operated as designed.” 

“It identified a possible threat, elevated it for human review, and relied on authorized safety personnel for final determination. From that point forward, Omnilert had no further involvement in any subsequent actions or decisions related to this event.” 

Allen said Rogers called him, and the school’s principal, Kate Smith, spoke with him to see if he “needed anything,” but that happened three days after the superintendent’s call.  

“I was expecting them to at least come up to me after the situation,” he told WMAR, “but three days later that just shows like, do you really care or are you just doing it because the superintendent called me?” 

Allen said he’s shaken up and afraid to stand outside again after practice. 

“I don’t think no chip bag should be mistaken for a gun at all,” he said. 

Smith wrote a letter to parents saying, “We understand how upsetting this was for the individual who was searched as well as the other students who witnessed the incident. Our counselors will provide direct support to the students who were involved in this incident and are also available to speak with any student who may need support.” 

Rogers said the notification process will be reviewed for possible changes. 

The incident led to multiple people posting memes on social media, including a bag of Dorito’s walking through a metal detector and another of a chip bag morphing into a gun.