A startling incident unfolded at Kenwood High School in Essex, Maryland, last week when a high-tech security system erroneously identified a bag of chips as a firearm, leading to a tense encounter between police officers and a 16-year-old student.
The student, Taki Allen, found himself in an unexpected and distressing situation. As he waited for his ride home, he casually placed an empty bag of chips into his pocket. In a matter of moments, police officers descended upon the scene, surrounding Allen, ordering him to the ground, and handcuffing him—all due to an artificial intelligence (AI) gun detection system’s mistake, according to reports from WMAR-2 News.
The Baltimore Police Department released body camera footage that paints a vivid picture of the event. The video reveals that the school’s AI security system, designed to monitor video feeds in real-time, misidentified the harmless chip bag as a potential firearm, prompting an immediate law enforcement response.
Allen recounted the shocking experience to WMAR-2, saying, “Police showed up, like eight cop cars, and then they all came out with guns pointed at me talking about getting on the ground. I was putting my hands up like, ‘What’s going on?’”
In the footage, officers can be seen reviewing the AI-triggered video, tracing the supposed threat to a nearby trash can, and eventually realizing their mistake when they discovered the “weapon” was nothing more than a bag of chips.
The incident at Kenwood High School, documented by the Baltimore Police Department, has understandably left both officials and students rattled, highlighting the challenges and potential pitfalls of relying on AI-driven security systems in schools.
“I guess just the way you guys were eating chips… It picked it up as a gun,” a police officer told the students in the video. “AI’s not the best.”
The Oct. 20 incident has left students, city officials and school administrators asking who was responsible for the traumatic incident.
During a conference call, Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said the alert had initially been canceled, but the school principal had already begun coordinating a police response.
“The alert was cancelled by the BCPS (Baltimore County Public Schools) Safety Team. The principal, who did not see the cancellation, contacted our School Resource Officer,” Baltimore County told Fox News Digital on Sunday, referring to a BCPS statement.
A bag of chips reportedly triggered a false gun alert, prompting police to respond to Kenwood High School in Essex, Maryland, on Oct. 20, 2025. (Baltimore Police Department)
Ultimately, the system functioned as intended, Rogers told WMAR-2.
“The program is based on human verification and in this case the program did what it was supposed to do, which was to signal an alert and for humans to take a look to find out if there was cause for concern in that moment,” Rogers said.
Omnilert told Fox News Digital their system combines both artificial intelligence with human verification before any escalation.
Police detain multiple students waiting to be picked up at Kenwood High School in Essex, Maryland, on Oct. 20, 2025, after a school AI security system mistook a snack bag for a gun. (Baltimore Police Department)
“Our system operated as designed — it identified a possible threat, elevated it for human review, and relied on authorized safety personnel for final determination,” the company told Fox News Digital, adding that the object was later confirmed not to be a firearm and the alert was marked as resolved.
“From that point forward, Omnilert had no further involvement in any subsequent actions or decisions related to this event.”
Allen, shaken by the incident, said he no longer feels safe going outside after football practice and that the incident should never have happened.
“I don’t think no chip bag should be mistaken for a gun at all,” Allen told WMAR-2.
“I don’t want – don’t think I’m safe enough to go outside, especially eating a bag of chips or drinking something. I just stay inside until my ride comes,” Allen added.
