Baltimore student handcuffed after AI system mistakes bag of chips for gun

The student, identified as Taki Allen, was sitting with his friends outside Kenwood High School when he was eating chips after a football practice.

The armed police suddenly arrived at the scene and approached the student.

"It was like eight cop cars that came pulling up for us. At first, I didn't know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns, talking about, 'Get on the ground,' and I was like, 'What?'" Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News.

The police informed him that the AI detection system thought the bag of chips, which he kept in his pocket after consuming, was a weapon.

"They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me. Then, they searched me and they figured out I had nothing," Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News. "Then, they went over to where I was standing and found a bag of chips on the floor."

"I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun," Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Baltimore County Police Department told WBAL that the officers responded to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon, but found that the student was unarmed.

Kenwood Principal Kate Smith said the school district’s security department reviewed and canceled the gun detection alert after confirming there was no weapon, according to a statement sent to parents that was shared with CNN.

Omnilert, the company that operates the AI gun detection system, has regretted the incident.

“We regret that this incident occurred and wish to convey our concern to the student and the wider community affected by the events that followed,” the company told CNN.