An attempt to burn down the home in which Martin Luther King Jr. was born was thwarted Thursday thanks in part to a couple of tourists, according to Atlanta Police. Two visitors from Utah initially spotted a woman pouring gasoline on the building, which was closed last month for extensive renovations, and intervened, per WSB and CBS News. "That action saved an important part of American history," Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a press conference. "It could have been a matter of seconds before the house was engulfed in flames," added Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry. A witness video obtained by WSB showed a woman dressed in black pouring gasoline on windows of the home, as well as surrounding bushes.
The King Center said the historic home-turned-museum was saved thanks to the "brave intervention of good Samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement," per USA Today. Two off-duty New York Police Department officers who were visiting the nearby King Center reportedly held the woman until local police arrived around 5:45pm. Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree arson and interference with government property. As the home was acquired by the National Park Service in 2018 and is therefore federal property, Henderson could also face federal charges, per WSB and CBS. "Our prayers are with the individual who allegedly committed this criminal act," the King Center said. (More Atlanta stories.)
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