A high school student in Baltimore County, Maryland, was reportedly handcuffed and searched after an AI security system alerted him to a possible firearm in a bag containing a chip.
“I was just holding a bag of Doritos and they said it looked like a gun, with both hands and one finger sticking out,” Taki Allen, a student at Kenwood High School, told CNN affiliate WBAL. But as a result, Allen said, “They put me on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and handcuffed me.”
In a statement shared with parents, Principal Katie Smith said the school’s security department reviewed and lifted the gun detection alarm, but Smith – who was not immediately aware that the alarm had been lifted – reported the situation to the school’s information officer, who then notified local police.
OmniRat, which operates an AI gun detection system, told CNN: “We regret that this incident occurred and would like to express our concerns to the students and broader community affected by the subsequent events.” Nevertheless, Omnirat said, “The process worked as intended.”
