A Florida woman who was captured on video casually dousing Martin
Luther King Jr.'s birth home in Atlanta with gasoline before
allegedly attempting to set it on fire has been identified and
charged.
Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, has been charged with attempted
arson and interfering with government property after she was seen on
camera pouring the flammable liquid out of a large red fuel
container and onto the porch of the historic wooden property at
around 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
The footage also shows the woman — who was dressed in all-black
clothing — dousing plants and emptying the liquid against the
windows of the Auburn Avenue house, which is located just blocks
from the King Center, King National Historical Park and the historic
Ebenezer Baptist Church.
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She was stopped in her tracks by two tourists and then apprehended
by two off-duty NYPD cops until Atlanta police arrived on the scene
and arrested her.
The woman, who is understood to suffer from mental health issues,
was transported to Grady Detention Center for evaluation before
being transferred to Fulton County Jail, police said.
It is unclear why she intended to burn the building down. She could
also face federal charges in connection with the incident, according
to Fox 5.
Zachary Eugene Kempf, from Utah, who shot the shocking video and is
one of the two tourists who stopped Henderson, said he was in
Atlanta for work reasons when he decided to visit the house. He
began recording this footage as he noticed the woman pouring
gasoline around the house.
"She seemed a little irritated and on edge," Kempf told Fox 5.
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Kempf said that when Henderson came down the porch steps, he told
her to stop, and he then blocked her repeated attempts to go back
up.
"She was never violent or aggressive with me, but she kept trying to
get past, and I kept blocking her," he told Storyful.
Kempf said Henderson never responded when he asked her what she was
doing.
Henderson then threw the empty canister into the bushes and grabbed
a lighter that she had left in the grass next to the porch, Kempf
told The New York Times. He then called 911.
Kempf then yelled at two men down the street for help. They happened
to be two off-duty NYPD officers, and they then apprehended
Henderson until Atlanta Police officers arrived at the scene. The
NYPD cops were in town to visit the landmark.
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The video also shows one of the NYPD cops holding Henderson down on
the ground with her hands behind her back. She is then escorted away
by Atlanta police looking glum and not saying anything.
Kempf said that Henderson’s family also arrived on the scene and
said they had been looking for her, according to the Times. Her
relatives described her as a veteran who was experiencing mental
distress.
Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry told reporters
that, after the fuel was poured, the home could have caught fire in
a matter of seconds. The fire department's HAZMAT team worked to
clean up the gasoline on the property.
A Chevrolet sedan, believed to be the woman’s car, was also seized
by police.
The home is currently under renovation and closed to visitors until
2025.
King's birth home, a framed two-story Queen Anne-style structure,
was built in 1895 and played a vital role in commemorating the early
life of the civil rights leader and his siblings.
Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/martin-luther-king-jr-home-arson-
suspect-named-caught-camera