Student Detained After AI Misidentifies Doritos Bag as Gun

In a concerning episode that has renewed scrutiny of AI in public safety, a student in Baltimore County, Maryland, was detained after an AI-driven security system wrongly flagged his bag of Doritos as a weapon. The pupil, identified as Taki Allen, was outside Kenwood High School eating chips with friends when the alert prompted a rapid police response.

The detection tool, developed by Omnilert, reported a suspected firearm in Allen’s hand and dispatched emergency notifications to school and law enforcement officials. Officers arrived within minutes and ordered the student to the ground with weapons drawn. "At first I didn’t understand what was happening until they came up with guns shouting, ‘Get on the ground,’" Allen recounted. "I was just holding a bag of Doritos."

Police say Allen was handcuffed and searched but no weapon was discovered. A later review of surveillance footage showed the object was a crumpled orange chip bag. An officer noted the AI misread the item because of how it was being held.

The false positive has raised alarm among parents and pupils about the dependability of automated detection tools. Those gathered outside the school voiced anger and concern. "This could have turned into a tragedy," one parent said. "You cannot have officers pointing guns at children over a software error."

Kenwood High School issued an apology to Allen and others who witnessed the incident, saying it understands the distress caused and that counselling services are available to support affected students.

Omnilert also issued a statement expressing regret and said it is conducting an internal review of the visual-recognition process to reduce the risk of similar errors in future deployments.

The episode has intensified debate over AI ethics and safety, with experts warning that overreliance on automated systems in schools and public spaces can produce dangerous outcomes. Critics argue AI still lacks the judgment and nuance required for real-world policing decisions.

For Taki Allen the event was deeply unsettling. "I was just eating chips with my friends — I never expected this to happen," he said. The incident has drawn national attention, underscoring calls for stronger human oversight of AI tools that affect public safety.