A high school student in Baltimore County, Maryland was reportedly handcuffed and searched after an artificial intelligence security system indicated his bag of potato chips was a possible firearm.
Taki Allen, a student at Kenwood High School, CNN affiliate WBAL said“I was just holding a bag of Doritos — it had two hands and one finger, and they said it looked like a gun.” But as a result, Allen said, “they made me get 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 canceled the weapons detection alert, while Smith (who did not immediately realize the alert had been canceled) reported the situation to the school resource officer, who contacted local police.
“We regret that this incident occurred and would like to convey our concern to the student and the broader community affected by the ensuing events,” Omnilert, the company that runs the AI weapon detection system, told CNN. However, Omnilert said that “the process went as intended.”