Armed police handcuff teen after AI mistakes crisp packet for gun in US

October 24, 2025

A 16-year-old Baltimore student, Taki Allen, was handcuffed by police after an AI weapon detection system mistakenly identified his empty Doritos packet as a gun. The incident occurred after football practice when eight police cars responded to the alert with guns drawn. Though Omnilert, the AI system provider, stated their system "operated as designed" with human verification involved, there was a communication breakdown as the school principal contacted police despite the alert being canceled by reviewers.

Who is affected

Taki Allen, the 16-year-old Baltimore student who was handcuffed
Baltimore County Public Schools students
School administrators and safety teams
Parents of students at the school
The wider community mentioned by Omnilert as being affected by the events

What action is being taken

Baltimore County local councilman Izzy Pakota is calling on Baltimore County Public Schools to review procedures around its AI-powered weapon detection system
Local politicians are calling for further investigation into the incident
Omnilert is defending their system's operation while expressing regret about the incident

Why it matters

The incident raises concerns about the reliability of AI weapon detection systems in schools
A student was handcuffed by armed police due to a false alarm
The student now feels unsafe to go outside after football practice
The event highlights potential flaws in communication procedures between AI systems, human reviewers, and school safety protocols
Similar AI weapon detection systems are being used in numerous US schools, hospitals, and stadiums

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC