(Photo: by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
A former high school athletic director from Pikesville High School in Baltimore was arrested for allegedly using artificial intelligence to impersonate the school principal in an altered recording.
The Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office stated that Dazhon Darien's nickname, DJ, was one of the names referenced in the manipulated audio clips.
Darien is currently facing charges encompassing theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.
Police said the recording portrayed a fabricated conversation between Principal Eric Eiswert and one of the school's assistant principals.
The audio allegedly included racist and antisemitic comments targeting individuals within the school.
Experts and authorities believe that the voice was simulated and made derogatory remarks about Black students and the nearby Jewish community.
Some of the statements included, that African-American students were unable to "test their way out of a paper bag" and that two Jewish teachers "should never have been hired at the school," reported CBS News.
Baltimore County detectives said the recording was made in retaliation against Eiswert, who was investigating possible mishandling of school funds, said Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough on Thursday.
The recording quickly spread on social media.
The viral circulation led to significant consequences. Eiswert was temporarily removed from the school amid a flood of hate-filled messages and numerous phone calls to the school.
Darien was attempting to board a flight to Houston when he was apprehended by police, who also found a firearm in his possession.
"Mr. Darien was stopped because of the way his declared firearm was packaged. When officers looked into his background, they learned he had an open arrest warrant," McCullough revealed.
Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers reassured the community that the county is taking "appropriate action" following Darien's arrest, "up to and including a recommendation for termination."
