Student handcuffed after Doritos bag mistaken for a gun by school’s AI security system

A student handcuffed after Doritos bag mistaken for a gun by school’s AI security system. (WBAL via CNN Newsource)

Armed police handcuffed and searched a student at a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, this week after an AI-driven security system flagged the teen’s empty bag of chips as a possible firearm.

Baltimore County officials are now calling for a review of how Kenwood High School uses the AI gun detection system and why the teen ended up in handcuffs despite school safety officials quickly determining there was no weapon.

“They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me,” Kenwood student Taki Allen told CNN affiliate WBAL, describing what happened Monday evening when police arrived at the school while he was waiting with friends for a ride home after football practice.

“They searched me, and they figured out I had nothing. Then, they went over to where I was standing and found a bag of chips on the floor,” Allen said.

He described a distressing scene with a heavy police response.

“The first thing I was wondering was, was I about to die? Because they had a gun pointed at me,” Allen told WBAL, saying about “eight cop cars” pulled up to the school.

“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 WBAL.

The AI-powered security system at the school is just one example of how schools are approaching safety in the age of mass gun violence. AI tools have exploded in popularity in recent years, including tools to help monitor surveillance footage.

CNN reached out to the Baltimore County Police Department for comment. The department told WBAL officers responded to “a report of a suspicious person with a weapon” but determined the person was unarmed after a search.

Kenwood Principal Kate Smith said the school district’s security department reviewed and canceled the gun detection alert after confirming there was no weapon, according to a statement sent to parents that was shared with CNN. Smith said she reported the matter to Kenwood’s school resource officer, who called local police for support.

The principal didn’t immediately realize the alert had been canceled, a spokesperson for Baltimore County Public Schools told WBAL.

“We understand how upsetting this was for the individual that was searched as well as the other students who witnessed the incident,” Smith said in the statement. “Please know that ensuring the safety of our students and school community is one of our highest priorities.”

Omnilert, the company that operates the AI gun detection system, expressed regret over the incident and emphasized that its system is designed to identify a possible threat and elevate it to human review.

“We regret that this incident occurred and wish to convey our concern to the student and the wider community affected by the events that followed,” the company told CNN.

“While the object was later determined not to be a firearm, the process functioned as intended: to prioritize safety and awareness through rapid human verification,” the company added.

The AI gun detection system has been used in Baltimore County public schools since 2023, analyzing video from the schools’ existing security cameras, Superintendent Myriam Rogers said during a news conference Wednesday.

Rogers called Monday’s incident “truly unfortunate” and said the district never wants to put any of its students in such a frightening situation.

The heavy-handed response to the false alarm has sparked outrage in the community, with Allen’s grandfather Lamont Davis demanding accountability.

“Something has got to be done,” he said to WBAL. “Changes have to be made and people have to be held accountable.”

Baltimore County officials say they want a review of the process that led to Monday’s police response.

“No child in our school system should be accosted by police for eating a bag of Doritos,” Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka said in a statement on social media, calling on the school district “to review procedures around its AI-powered weapon detection system.”

Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones also called for a review of the use of the AI system “to make sure there are safeguards in place, so this type of error does not happen again,” according to WBAL.

Superintendent Rogers said reviewing the system and security practices in Baltimore County schools “is part of our regular practice.”

By Karina Tsui, Zoe Sottile, CNN