Atlanta police identified Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, as the suspect who tried to burn down Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s birth home on Thursday.
Two visitors from Utah stopped Henderson from torching the home after she splashed 5 gallons of gasoline onto the porch and windows at 501 Auburn Avenue near the King Center in downtown Atlanta.
Police were called to the home at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. They found two off-duty NYPD officers detaining Henderson outside the home.
This woman attempted to burn down the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr ? pic.twitter.com/wif1AbzcaP
— ATL Uncensored (@ATLUncensored) December 8, 2023
The two-story Queen Anne style house is owned by the National Park Service and is federal property.
Henderson was transported to Grady Hospital’s locked detention ward for a psychological evaluation, Then she was booked into the Fulton County Jail.
She was charged with, second-degree attempted arson and interference with government property.
Henderson’s father said she has a history of mental illness and the family had been searching for her for two days.
Photos posted on Henderson’s Facebook page shows her posing in her Naval uniform.
MLK’s house was previously closed to the public for a 2-year renovation project when the incident happened, authorities say.
“Our prayers are with the individual who allegedly committed this criminal act,” the King Center said in a statement on Thursday.
“The home had been open for public tours through last month, when it was closed for an “extensive renovation project” that is not expected to be completed until 2025,” the King Center said.
Dr. King was recently in the news after a rarely seen video of one of his speeches resurfaced on Twitter/X.
A woman named Laneisha Henderson has been arrested for allegedly trying to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home in Atlanta. She was detained by visiting off-duty NYPD officers. The shocking incident has not received wall-to-wall media coverage.pic.twitter.com/PXiLmaM4kh
— Andy Ngô ???? (@MrAndyNgo) December 8, 2023
The woman on the ground being held is Laneisha Henderson- she tried to burn down the former home of Martin Luther King Jr. Allegedly, Laneisha is a Biden & Harris supporter and possibly a black supremacist. pic.twitter.com/Nu1dBXTcUJ
— Ron Milner (@RonMilnerBoodle) December 8, 2023
What has happened to African Americans??? How have they arrived at the point where they want to destroy an edifice dedicated to one of their heros?? An edifice dedicated to someone who is a hero to any American—-what has happened to them??
— Livia525 (@Livia525Moi) December 8, 2023
