A Florida woman was arrested on Thursday after she was spotted while trying to burn down the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta, police said. According to The Washington Post, two tourists who were visiting from Utah interrupted Laneisha Shantrice Henderson after she poured gasoline on the historic home, which currently stands as a museum operated by the National Park Service.
Atlanta police arrived at the scene and found that Henderson was already detained by two off-duty New York Police Department officers who were also visiting the city. The 26-year-old woman, who is Black, was charged with criminal attempt arson, a second-degree felony, and criminal attempt interference with government property. She was booked on Friday morning. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum praised the Good Samaritans who stopped Henderson.
“That action saved an important part of American history tonight,” Schierbaum told reporters.
Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry said the building would have been destroying if the tourists didn’t take action.
“If the witnesses hadn’t been here and interrupted what she was doing, it could have been a matter of seconds before the house was engulfed in flames,” DeBerry told reporters.
The iconic home was originally built in 1895 for a white family, according to the National Park Service. Rev. Adam Daniel Williams bought the house in 1909 and moved in with his wife Jennie Celeste, as well as their 6-year-old daughter, Alberta Christine. When Alberta married a minister named Michael Luther King in 1926, the couple moved in with her parents at the home at 501 Auburn Avenue. The Kings gave birth to three children at the home. The first child was named Michael Jr. He later changed his name to Martin Luther King Jr. after his father did the same. The house now stands as one of the most iconic sites in Atlanta.
“Quick action saved the jewel of our city, something very important to Atlanta,” Schierbaum said.
