AI Gun Detection System Mistakes Doritos Bag for Firearm, Leading to Student's Arrest
13 Sources
[1]
High school's AI security system confuses Doritos bag for a possible firearm | TechCrunch
A high school student in Baltimore County, Maryland was reportedly handcuffed and searched after an AI security system flagged his bag of chips as a possible firearm. Taki Allen, a student at Kenwood High School, told CNN affiliate WBAL, "I was just holding a Doritos bag -- it was two hands and
[2]
Cops alerted by AI gun detection system arrest high school student holding bag of Doritos -- eight cars sent to disarm chip-toting teen
After Omnilert AI detects a gun on campus, there is supposed to be a human verification step before the cops are called. A young student was left traumatized after being ordered to the ground and handcuffed by police because an AI gun detection system erroneously called the cops on his Doritos
[3]
High school student surrounded by police and handcuffed after AI mistakes his bag of Doritos for a gun
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. WTF?! Even as billions are poured into AI and its use becomes increasingly widespread, we're still seeing very worrying instances of the technology getting things wrong. A prime example happened at
[4]
Armed police surround teen after AI mistakes crisp packet for gun
Mr Allen said he now waits inside after football practice, as he does not think it is "safe enough to go outside, especially eating a bag of chips or drinking something". In a letter to parents, school principal Kate Smith said the school's safety team "quickly reviewed and cancelled the initial
[5]
Teen Swarmed by Cops After AI Metal Detector Flags His Doritos Bag as a Gun
Further evidence that artificial intelligence is not all that intelligent has been provided by an unfortunate incident in Baltimore, where, thanks to an AI-guided security system, local police nearly arrested a teenager for the crime of...eating Doritos? According to NBC affiliate WBAL-TV 11, a
[6]
US student handcuffed after AI system apparently mistook bag of chips for firearm
Baltimore county high schools have gun detection system that alerts police if it sees what it deems suspicious An artificial intelligence system (AI) apparently mistook a high school student's bag of Doritos for a firearm and called local police to tell them the pupil was armed. Taki Allen was
[7]
An AI Mistook a Doritos Bag for a Gun and Called the Cops on a Teenager
"If I eat another bag of chips or drink something, I feel like they're going to come again." An AI-powered gun detection system hooked up to a Baltimore County high school's cameras mistook a bag of Doritos chips as a weapon -- and called the cops on a 16-year-old student. As local news station
[8]
Multiple police cars showed up to a school after surveillance system monitored by AI flagged a bag of Doritos as a gun: 'AI is not the best'
"The program did what it was supposed to do," claims the AI software's manufacturer. AI is slowly making its way into every facet of life, and that means more and more fields are being manned by machines that can't be held accountable. In many cases, AI going wrong is normally confined to a poor
[9]
Body cam shows Baltimore County officers stunned after gun scare was just a bag of chips
WJZ has obtained the body cam footage of police confronting a student at Kenwood High School after an A.I. gun detection system mistakenly detected that a student had a weapon. Baltimore County leaders are now calling for a review of that system. During the footage from Monday's incident,
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AI mistakes a bag of Doritos for a gun, calls the cops
TL;DR: An AI gun detection system at a Baltimore County school mistakenly identified a student holding a bag of Doritos as carrying a firearm, leading to his handcuffing and police intervention. The incident raises concerns about AI accuracy and the potential consequences of false weapon alerts in
[11]
Big AI blunder? Cops cuff teen in Baltimore after AI security system detects gun in his bag; here's what happened next
Drama unfolded in Baltimore, a city in the US state of Maryland, after an AI security system spotted a teenager with a gun and apparently alerted the city police. Later, it turned out that it was only flagging a bag of cheesy goodness. The teenager at the center of the incident was identified as
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Teen swarmed by armed cops when school's AI security system mistakes...
A high-school football player was eating a bag of Doritos after practice last week when the school's AI security cameras mistook his snack for a gun -- prompting scores of cops to rush there with guns drawn. Taki Allen, 16, said he was waiting for his ride after Monday's grid practice at Kenwood
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AI thought a Doritos bag was a gun. What's worse? We believed it!
A 16-year-old boy in Baltimore ended up handcuffed on the ground, surrounded by police with drawn weapons. Because of an empty Doritos bag. Rather, because AI thought that bag of chips was actually a gun! The boy, named Taki Allen, was waiting outside his school for a ride home, minding his own
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A high school student in Baltimore was handcuffed by police after an AI security system incorrectly identified his bag of Doritos as a potential weapon, highlighting concerns about AI accuracy in critical security applications.
AI Security System Triggers False Alarm
A 16-year-old student at Kenwood High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, experienced a traumatic encounter with law enforcement after an artificial intelligence gun detection system mistakenly identified his bag of Doritos as a potential firearm
1
. Taki Allen was sitting outside with friends after football practice on October 20, waiting to be picked up, when the incident occurred2
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Source: New York Post
Approximately 20 minutes after Allen had finished eating his chips, eight police cars arrived at the school in response to the AI alert . Officers emerged from their vehicles with weapons drawn, ordering Allen to put his hands on his head and walk toward them. The teenager was subsequently forced to his knees and handcuffed while police searched both him and his friends
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.The Mistaken Identity
Allen described the confusion to local news outlets, explaining that he was "just holding a Doritos bag -- it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun"
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. The error became apparent when police reviewed the surveillance footage and found the crumpled chip bag in a nearby trash can .
Source: Tom's Hardware
One officer acknowledged the system's limitations, telling Allen that "AI is not the best" and explaining that the way he was eating chips had triggered the detection system . The Baltimore County Police Department later confirmed that while Allen was handcuffed, he was not formally arrested .
System Protocols and Response
The AI system in question was developed by Omnilert, a company that markets itself as a "pioneer in AI-powered active shooter prevention technology"
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. According to the company's documentation, their gun detection system operates through a three-step process: AI detection, human verification, and automated emergency response2
.Principal Katie Smith explained in a statement to parents that the school's security department had actually reviewed and canceled the gun detection alert. However, Smith, who was unaware that the alert had been canceled, reported the situation to the school resource officer, who then contacted local police
1
. School Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers defended the system, stating that "the program did what it was supposed to do which was to signal an alert and for humans to take a look" .Related Stories
Company Response and Broader Implications
Omnilert issued a statement expressing regret over the incident while maintaining that "the process functioned as intended"
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. The company told the BBC that while the object was later determined not to be a firearm, the system prioritized "safety and awareness through rapid human verification"4
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Source: TechSpot
The company's website promotes its technology as using "real, diverse data" leading to "more reliable detection, fewer false positives," claiming that their "data-centric methodology trains AI to succeed" in real-world scenarios
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. However, this incident raises questions about the accuracy of such systems, particularly given that last year, another weapons scanning company, Evolv Technology, was banned from making unsupported claims about its AI scanner's capabilities4
.Impact on Student and Calls for Review
The incident has had a lasting psychological impact on Allen, who described feeling scared during the encounter and wondering "am I gonna die? Are they going to kill me?"
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. The teenager now waits inside after football practice, stating he doesn't think it's "safe enough to go outside, especially eating a bag of chips or drinking something"4
.Local politicians have responded to the incident by calling for a review of the AI-powered surveillance technology. Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Pakota wrote on Facebook that he was "calling on Baltimore County Public Schools to review procedures around its AI-powered weapon detection system"
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. Both Omnilert and the school have offered counseling services to students affected by the incident2
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