Tourists stopped a 26-year-old U.S. Navy veteran this week from burning down the birth home of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
Laneisha Shantrice Henderson “was detained by the bystanders at the historic home on Auburn Avenue and taken into custody Thursday night,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “Unlike many national monuments, there is no gate restricting access to the civil rights leader’s birth home, which attracts more than 700,000 visitors from around the world annually.”
“That action saved an important part of American history tonight,” Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters at the scene.
A man who became suspicious of Henderson asked her what she was doing after he saw her throw a liquid onto the front porch of the residence. Once he smelled gasoline and realized what she was allegedly doing, he grabbed her car keys — which she left in the grass — to prevent her from leaving. The man then blocked her from getting back on the porch when she returned with a lighter.
Henderson then took off and two off duty police officers rushed in to apprehend her until law enforcement arrived on scene.
“If the witnesses hadn’t been here and interrupted what she was doing, I mean, it could have been a matter of seconds before the house was engulfed in flames,” said Atlanta fire Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry.
WATCH:
UPDATE: Police arrested Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, Thursday night after she attempted to set fire to the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr.: https://t.co/tbryVVbBU5 pic.twitter.com/w2K31wDANA
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) December 8, 2023
Henderson was charged with second-degree criminal attempt to commit arson and interference with government property. A Fulton County magistrate denied Henderson bond due to an unstable place of residence and the nature of the alleged offense.
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“She gave an address in a different state. So I find that there is a likelihood that she may not return to court,” said Fulton County Magistrate Judge Holly Hughes. “I’m extremely concerned about the randomness of this event. There does not seem to be any reason or tie to that particular location.”