Overview
- District records show Omnilert flagged a possible gun at 7:04 p.m., safety staff canceled the alert by 7:06, yet the principal reported it at 7:17 and police arrived around 7:23.
- Officers pointed weapons, ordered Taki Allen to the ground, and handcuffed and searched him before confirming he had a bag of Doritos; he later said he feared for his life.
- Baltimore County Public Schools and an Omnilert spokesperson said the system operated as designed, citing poor lighting for the misidentification, and the company declined to release the image.
- BCPS will conduct annual staff retraining and clarified after-hours escalation steps for principals and school resource officers following the incident.
- The district’s three-year, $2.6 million Omnilert contract covers roughly 7,000 cameras, as officials face calls for formal reviews and Allen’s family raises concerns about possible racial bias.