Woman Arrested After Trying To Burn Down Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home In Atlanta

 

F| Laneisha Shantrice Henderson (Atlanta Police Department) B| The Atlanta home where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born. (David Goldman / AP file)

A woman has been arrested after trying to burn down the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr.

On Thursday, 26-year-old Laneisha Shantrice Henderson was arrested after two bypassers saw her pouring gasoline on the property in Atlanta, Georgia.

Henderson was charged with interfering with government property and second-degree arson. 

Authorities stated that after being released from Grady Detention for a psychological assessment, she will be moved to Fulton County Jail.

The visitors informed the officers that they were from Utah on a work trip and that they wished to see the historical site, which is off-limits to the general public.

An incident report stated that they saw Henderson outside dousing bushes in liquid but at first took it indifferently.

Henderson did not respond when the visitors asked if she was taking care of the plants. After asking her a few more questions, they discovered that she was carrying a gasoline container.

“When they realized what was going on, they started to plead with Ms. Henderson to stop, but she was ignoring them,” the incident report stated. “It also seemed as if she started to rush and pour the gasoline out faster on and around the historical house.”

One witness told the press that he stood at the bottom of the stairs outside the home and told Henderson to stop “and blocked her for about a minute, kept blocking her from going up the stairs.”

Henderson was held down by bystanders until police arrived. According to the incident report, witnesses claimed she attempted to light the lighter she was holding while she was being held.

Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told the press that their quick action “saved the jewel of [their] city.”

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center released a statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, thanking the witnesses that stopped Henderson.

“Tonight, an unfortunate incident occurred at the birth home of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr., as an individual attempted to set fire to the historic property. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the brave good samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement,” the center said.