A.I. nearly gets deadly: ‘How did a bag of chips nearly cost a teenager his life?’
A student has been cuffed and badgered by cops because his school’s artificial intelligence (or lack thereof) system told authorities that his bag of Doritos was, in fact, a gun.
In a video, cops actually explain to students at the Baltimore school that the AI blundered, with its report to authorities that the munchies were really a weapon.
NEWLY RELEASED BODY CAM: AI MISTAKES DORITOS BAG FOR GUN
Cop to the boy “Thanks for not running away. That would have been a real problem.”
Baltimore County police stormed Kenwood High after an AI system flagged what it thought was a firearm.
Sixteen-year-old Taki Allen… pic.twitter.com/THoMvx2Wcc
— BOOMWIRE (@JordyHalo80) October 27, 2025
The report cited a police officer’s body camp, which shows the officers were forced to explain AI made the mistake and that’s why they handcuffed an innocent person.
“Thanks for not running away. That would have been a real problem,” the report said police explained after they “stormed” Kenwood High.
“Sixteen-year-old Taki Allen was surrounded by officers, ordered to his knees, and handcuffed. The ‘gun’ was an empty Doritos bag. A human reviewer had already marked the alert as no threat, but the message never reached the school in time. No weapon. No arrest. Now officials are demanding answers. How did a bag of chips nearly cost a teenager his life?”
A report at Not the Bee warned, “Get used to it, Baltimore students.”
That was prompted by the school’s “non-apology,” which claimed, “We understand how upsetting this was for the individual that 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. Please know that ensuring the safety of our students and school community is one of our highest priorities. We work closely with Baltimore County police to ensure that we can promptly respond to any potential safety concerns, and it is essential that we all work together to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all Kenwood High School students and staff.”
The report noted the corporation whose blunder caused the problem, Omnialert, “refused to make any comments.”
The student, Allen, told WBAL, “It was like eight cop cars that came pulling up for us. 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?'”
He said, “I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun.”