AI Falsely Flags Football Star's Doritos Bag as Gun, Leading to Arrest

Kenwood sophomore Taki Allen was handcuffed by Baltimore County Police after a new AI gun detection system alerted officers to an empty, folded chip bag

A high school football star in Maryland was swarmed and detained by police when an AI detection system at his school falsely flagged an empty bag of Doritos he was carrying as a gun. / Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Editor's Note: Sources in the original version of this story incorrectly identified the AI gun detection system used by the Kenwood School District as being a ZeroEyes detection system. However, ZeroEyes contacted High School on SI Sunday evening to clarify that it is not affiliated with Kenwood High School and that its systems were not involved in this incident. Sources later clarified that it was an Omnilert system. We apologize for this error.

The jokes write themselves. His name is Taki, he was holding a bag of chips, but they weren’t Takis — they were Doritos. But the situation he innocently wound up in, as as ridiculous as it turned out, was unfortunately no joke.

Taki Allen, a 14-year-old sophomore football player at Kenwood High School in Baltimore County, was handcuffed and arrested last week after an AI-powered gun detection system falsely flagged an empty Doritos bag as a firearm, according to reports from The Baltimore Banner and The Washington Post.

The System's 'Unfortunate False Positive'

The AI system sent an alert to law enforcement after identifying the shiny, folded chip bag as a possible gun.

According to Baltimore County police, officers responded within minutes and detained Allen inside the school. They searched him and took him into custody before realizing he was carrying no weapon at all — only a chip bag.

Police confirmed that no gun was found and that Allen was released without charges, The Banner reported.

Allen, a 6-foot-4 defensive end for Kenwood’s 2-6 football team, has been a standout underclassman for the Bluebirds this fall. Through seven games, he’s totaled 46 tackles, including 13 solo and four for loss, with two sacks for 23 yards lost. He’s also logged one carry on offense, an 11-yard run earlier in the season.

A "Traumatic and Humiliating" Incident for the Star Defensive End

Allen’s attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon, told The Baltimore Banner the incident was “traumatic and humiliating” for his client.

“He was treated like a criminal for holding a bag of chips,” Gordon said. “This was a false alarm that could have turned deadly.”

Gordon said Allen was walking through the main entrance of Kenwood High when the AI-triggered alert led police to swarm the area.

In a statement to The Washington Post, Baltimore County Public Schools said it is reviewing the incident and that “the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority.”

Civil Rights Concerns Over AI Surveillance in Schools

Civil rights advocates, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, have called for an independent investigation into the county’s use of AI surveillance in schools, citing concerns about accuracy and racial bias in technology used to monitor predominantly Black student populations, according to CNN.

Allen, who also plays basketball at Kenwood, has returned to school but remains shaken. His attorney said he hopes the case will spark change.

“A 14-year-old kid walked into school with chips in his hand and walked out in handcuffs,” Gordon said. “That’s not safety — that’s a failure.”

---

Recommended Articles

feed