AI Security System Mistakes Bag of Doritos for Gun, Triggers Police Response to School in Baltimore
A high school student in Baltimore was forced to the ground by armed police after an artificial intelligence security system mistakenly identified a bag of Doritos as a gun.
The incident occurred Monday evening outside Kenwood High School, when 17-year-old Taki Allen was waiting for his ride home. Without warning, police officers with weapons drawn ordered him to get on the ground.
“I was just standing there with my Doritos,” Allen told WBRC. “They said an AI detector thought I had a gun. The officer showed me a picture — it was me holding the bag like this.”
The photo, captured by the school’s AI-powered security camera, apparently flagged Allen’s snack as a potential firearm. After police searched him, they found no weapon — only the chips.
Kenwood High School Principal Bryan Powell addressed the situation in a letter to parents, writing:
“At approximately 7 p.m., school administration received an alert that an individual on school grounds may have been in possession of a weapon. The Department of School Safety and Security quickly reviewed and canceled the initial alert after confirming there was no weapon.”
The AI detection software, developed by a company called Omnilert, is part of a broader $2.6 million security investment by Baltimore County Public Schools aimed at identifying firearms on campus through artificial intelligence surveillance.
While no one was injured, the incident has raised serious questions about the reliability of AI-based security systems in schools and the potential dangers of false alerts.
As one parent told local media, “If a bag of chips can be mistaken for a gun, what happens next time if someone moves the wrong way?”
School officials say they are reviewing the system’s performance and protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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