Teen Handcuffed After AI Mistakes Chip Bag for Gun
Police handcuffed and searched a student at a Baltimore County, Maryland, high school this week after an artificial intelligence-driven security system mistook an empty bag of Doritos for a possible gun, prompting community outrage.
Kenwood High student Taki Allen said that he was waiting for a ride after football practice when officers confronted him, CNN reported Saturday.
"They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me," Allen told WBAL-TV.
"They searched me, and they figured out I had nothing," he added. "Then, they went over to where I was standing and found a bag of chips on the floor."
Allen described the scene as chaotic, saying "about eight cop cars" arrived and officers drew their weapons.
"The first thing I was wondering was, was I about to die? Because they had a gun pointed at me," 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."
Baltimore County police told WBAL that officers responded to a report of "a suspicious person with a weapon" but determined the student was unarmed after searching him.